


Things That Shine

by StarlightDragon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Politics, American Presidents, Awkward First Times, Awkward Flirting, Bets & Wagers, Breaking Up & Making Up, First Dates, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Implied Castiel/Dean Winchester, M/M, Mutual Pining, President Sam Winchester, Taylor Swift - Freeform, White House, actual applying for jobs like an adult, jobs and not the sexual kind, sam is in general very awkward, serenades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:37:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7409641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightDragon/pseuds/StarlightDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Balthazar makes a drunken bet that Gabriel can’t successfully get a job as a White House tour guide, Gabriel never actually expects to win.He definitely doesn’t expect to run into President Sam Winchester in a back corridor of the White House, and to slowly start falling in love with him. After all, Gabriel failed out of acting school and can barely make himself pancakes without setting the kitchen on fire - he definitely isn’t the kind of guy who should be dating the President. (It’s just possible that Sam disagrees with that.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sparks Fly

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for this fic in the morning of December 31, 2015 while lying in a sleeping bag on my best friend's floor waiting for him to wake up. A little over six months later, the fic is finished and he and I are dating. I guess that's kind of a fanfiction in itself. 
> 
> Huge huge shout out to aria-lerendeair for hosting writing livestreams and word wars so that I could actually bang out most of this fic, and also to the-queen-unitato for the spontaneous read through when I was sure that I'd written the worst thing ever. You guys are my faves and I credit this fic to you entirely, it would not exist without you.
> 
> I wrote this for the 2016 round of the Gabriel Big Bang, so you should all check out the art drawn by the wonderful kd-heart!!

Gabriel Novak prided himself on being the kind of guy who never backed down from a bet.

Honestly, he didn't like to think back on all of the crazy things he'd done in the name of a bet. Some of them he couldn't remember anyway, which was probably a good thing. Most of them had been in college, before he'd failed out shortly after starting his third year. The only things they all had in common was that every single one of them involved alcohol - and every single one of them led to a reward.

He'd definitely used sex as a reward before. A hot person gives him a challenge and says they'll sleep with him if he completes it? Gabriel's so down for that. And services, too. If someone offers to do his laundry for a week in return for making a fool out of himself, well, Gabriel makes a fool out of himself on a daily basis anyway, and he absolutely hates doing laundry, so that's a win win. Money is the traditional one, and possibly not Gabriel's favorite, but he needs to buy things just as much as anyone else does, so he'll happily wager twenty dollars on something.

But this... this was a whole other level.

Here Balthazar was, sitting opposite him at a table in a crowded bar, the girls hanging onto his arm having long since disappeared to find a table of younger and more attractive people... and Balthazar was offering him a thousand dollars.

"A thousand dollars? You don't even have a thousand dollars, you dickface."

"Neither do you, but I bet you'd like to," Balthazar slurred, definitely too drunk to be offering something like this, definitely going to regret this in the morning.

"Well, of course I fucking would. But how are you going to give it to me?"

"I'll figure it out. I'll start saving now. See, this isn't a quick challenge, this isn't like - take your pants off and dance on a table to Call Me Maybe kind of challenge. By the time you're done with this one? I'll have had plenty of time to make money."

That got Gabriel's attention. Balthazar, and most of their other friends, were usually all about the quick wins, the bets that they could see completed within a night, done and dusted before they could even chug another drink, so that they could laugh at Gabriel and then move on with their lives. But here, Balthazar was offering him something long term. This had to be good if it was quite that important to him.

"Alright, hit me with it. I'm not saying yes, mind, but I'm interested to hear what you've got."

Balthazar leaned across the table, his eyes glittering, getting right into Gabriel's personal space. "Okay. Okay, here goes. I happen to know through a friend of a friend of a friend of a very casual acquaintance of a dude I once slept with in high school... that the White House is looking for more staff."

"I don't want to know anything more about your friends," Gabriel said with an eyeroll (he rarely did), "And I'm not pranking anybody in the White House. What do you wanna have me do, deface peoples' applications? Squirt whipped cream on them as they arrive for their interviews?"

"Better," Balthazar grinned wickedly, and now Gabriel was concerned more than he was intrigued. "I want you to get a job there."

"A what?"

"A job. In the White House. Come on, wouldn't that be hilarious? Bet you can't do it. Bet there's absolutely no way you can actually convince them to hire you."

Gabriel considered it. He was just in the right spot of drunkenness that he had enough brainpower left to consider such things, but was deprived of enough common sense that he wouldn't just dismiss the idea outright. "And, what, I only get the money if I get the job?"

"'Sright."

It was all starting to make sense now. Balthazar was offering him a ridiculous sum of money, because he thought it was completely impossible that Gabriel could actually make this happen. He thought that Gabe would get laughed at and turned away on sight and that he, Balthazar, would get a free laugh out of the whole thing.

And Gabriel, a little sick of being the butt of everyone's jokes, very, very badly didn't want that to happen. But he also had a reputation to uphold. And his reputation was that he always accepted bets.

"You're playing in dangerous waters here," he said, sounding more confident than he really was. "I am a trained actor, you know. I can make anyone believe anything."

Balthazar waved a hand around. "Psh. You failed out of school. You got a D in Fundamentals of Acting."

"That was because I had an evil professor and you know it!" Gabriel countered, sick of Bal bringing that story up.

"So. You'll do it? You take the bet?"

Gabriel shook his head and then banged it on the table for good measure. Even he knew he had to be absolutely crazy.

"Fuck it all. I don't know why the hell I do these things for you, but yeah, I'll take the damn bet."

Balthazar cheered and waved his hand to a waiter, ordering a pair of shots for them. That was how they always sealed a bet - both of them with a shot of something brightly colored in their hands, clink, drink, and the bet's a binding contract.

...That said, this bet was a little different from most others. Balthazar woke up the next morning with the worst case of bed hair Gabriel had ever seen, moping into the kitchen looking like he'd been dragged through a farm on the back of a tractor during the night, clutching his own stomach. "I'm too old for this shit," he groaned as Gabriel poured him a bowl of dry cornflakes and pushed them over to his stupid roommate. Gabriel was pretty sure Bal didn't even remember making the bet at all. The night was a little blurry even for him, and Balthazar had been so much more drunk than Gabriel had. And since Bal didn't bring it up all through their morning spent together marathoning Star Wars on the couch, if was a fair guess that it had completely slipped his mind.

And yet. That day, Gabriel went into the city to run some errands. He posted a couple of letters and he grabbed some necessary groceries (Jolly Ranchers, Twizzlers, Dum Dums, Hershey's Kisses and a strawberry milkshake), bought a new phone case because his really couldn't stand to get any more cracked - and then he went to the bank. Got some cash out. Checked his bank account balance. Nearly fainted on the spot.

That couldn't possibly be right.

Sure, it was a little after Christmas and he had gone a bit crazy on the sale shopping this year, buying himself some pretty great new outfits, and yeah, he'd had a few more nights out with Balthazar than usual recently - but he was really, really shocked that things had managed to get quite this bad. At this rate, he wouldn't even be able to afford next month's rent and heating. He'd have to put in some extra hours at work, that was, if he was even allowed, because he knew Balthazar wouldn't be able to cover him, and he really didn't want to have to ask Luke for help, because he knew how much his brother would judge him for running out of money.

That was when the memory of Balthazar's thousand dollar offer floated back into his mind.

A thousand dollars would really help him right now. That was two whole months' rent, straight up. He could remind Balthazar about the bet, and hopefully the guy would have the same opinion about it that he did last night - that Gabriel would never be able to actually succeed with it - and let him give it a chance. And then Gabriel would apply for a job. At the White House.

Really, what was the worst that could happen? He could get turned away, but then all he'd lose would be the time spent on the application and maybe the interview. It wasn't like they were going to be filmed on national TV. Yes, Balthazar would laugh at him, but that was already a daily occurrence. And in the rare, unthinkable possibility that he succeeded? Well, he'd have a thousand dollars, as well as the chance of a job that was much better paid than the one he had right now.

It wasn't a half bad situation.

He laughed on the way back at the irony that Balthazar had struggled to convince him to do it at first, and now he was going to be the one who struggled to convince Balthazar. But he'd manage it, somehow. Even if getting Bal drunk again was what it took. He could do this.

As far as plans for his future went, it wasn't conventional, it wasn't even really that plausible. But then, he'd grown up wanting to be an actor. Unlikely future plans were kind of his thing.

The day Gabriel got the letter was a fairly boring Tuesday morning, several months later.

"I hate Tuesdays," he was complaining, leaning against the side in the kitchen wearing his ice cream parlor uniform. "Feels like every day is Tuesday. Tuesdays are just a neverending blur. They're the worst day of the week. Everyone always complains about Mondays, but they're really not so bad, you know? You're still riding the high of the weekend, and you can slack off a bit because nobody expects you to get on top of your work right away. Tuesdays are the difficult ones. Let's just cancel Tuesdays, yeah?"

Balthazar was sorting through the mail, completely ignoring his roommate's rant. "Three for you," he finally said, handing over the letters.

The first one was from Gabriel's oldest brother Michael, away on a business trip in England, sending a very stilted, formal postcard that looked as though it had been copied word for word and sent to every single person he knew. He threw it out. The second one was a catalogue from a clothing company he bought from sometimes, but right now, he knew he definitely couldn't afford any new clothes. He threw that one out too.

The third one was a fancy, embossed envelope, but it didn't give anything else away on the surface.

_1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,_

_Washington, DC_

_20500_

_Dear Mr Novak,_

_Thankyou for your recent interview for a position as a White House Tour Guide. We very much appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to talk to us. After performing the necessary background checks and reviewing your application several times, we have come to the conclusion that you would be a credit to our team of staff. We would like to invite you to begin a two week trial period working at the White House following receipt of signed copies of the enclosed forms agreeing that you will not disclose anything you may overhear while on the property, whether or not your employment continues after this initial period. A witness to the signature will also be required (cannot be a family member.)_

 _If you accept this position, you understand that you will be an official employee of the President of the United States of America, and that this employment comes with certain conditions regarding how you conduct your personal life both in and out of the White House._

The letter continued from there, and Gabriel's eyes glazed over a bit as he scanned the rest of it, looking for the bottom bit where he would surely unfold the last flap of paper only to read the words "April Fools! Love, Balthazar." None came. But of course, Balthazar would never be that obvious. He'd want to make Gabe wait for a little bit longer before revealing that he was the butt of a joke.

Balthazar wasn't even paying attention. He was struggling with some kind of word puzzle in the newspaper.

"Hey, Bal," Gabriel said casually, holding out the letter. As he did so, it caught the light and he saw an official looking watermark on the paper. He refused to let himself hope.

Bal frowned at Gabriel and took the letter, his eyes scanning down it, looking more and more horrified as he reached the end.

"Holy fucking shit. Did you fake this?"

"Of course not. Did you?"

They both stared at each other for a minute or two, a complete Mexican standoff during which neither of them let themselves believe that the other hadn't completely fabricated what they were holding together in their hands, even as they both knew that they themselves had had nothing to do with the letter.

Finally, Balthazar broke, tugging the letter out of Gabriel's grip and slamming it down on the table. "Nothing to do with me, I swear, with a hand across my heart, on my entire shot glass collection."

"I swear, too," Gabriel replied, barely hearing his own voice, his head swimming.

"Swear on all your stuffed animals?"

"Swear on all my stuffed animals." Gabriel was too out of it to even get annoyed that Balthazar knew about them after he'd tried so hard to hide his collection. What the fuck was happening to him? They were the only two who'd known about the bet. The letter was addressed directly to him and no fewer than three White House employees had signed it. It seemed completely genuine in every way. And Gabriel knew that his interview had gone well, that he'd been polite and charming, and he knew that there was nothing actually on his criminal record, despite everything he'd done in the past.

But it was one thing going to an interview and not fucking it up. It was a whole different matter to actually get offered a job. And out of all the Georgetown-educated, rich family trust fund pretty much born into politics kids that existed in this city - Gabriel didn't completely understand why he should be the one who beat out all the competition and actually get offered this ridiculous position.

"So, are you going to take it?" came Balthazar's voice from a very long way away.

"I don't... know," Gabriel murmured, because he had no clue what the hell he should do. He claimed to hate his job at the ice cream parlor (they never let him design any new sundaes despite all his great ideas), but then again, didn't everyone hate their job? You weren't supposed to like your job, that was what he'd always thought. If you liked your job you were weird and people probably hated you for it. And yes, the White House would pay better, but it actually wasn't significantly more. And he would have to wear a suit to work every single day and he wouldn't be able to mess around with his hair and dye it cotton candy pink like he'd been thinking about recently and there would just be so many rules and it wouldn't be worth it.

"You don't get the money if you don't take it," Balthazar smirked, and Gabriel wondered why he was so invested in the whole idea anyway. Fame by association, maybe?

Gabriel scowled. "That's not fair. I got the job. Did what I had to do. That money's mine and you know it."

"Yes, but it's my bet, my rules. Deal with it."

But a thousand dollars wasn't really worth shaking up his whole life for, was it?

"Look. Gabriel. I know we don't have serious conversations all that often-"

"Balthazar, I've known you for almost ten years and we have never once had a serious conversation. I don't think you know how."

"-but I'm just going to be straight with you here-"

"I've also never known you to be straight, you piece of gay trash."

"-and tell you that this is a really fucking great opportunity, yeah? And the letter says there's a trial period. And maybe it would be worth trying it out and just seeing what happens. Because recently you've been constantly complaining about the fact that once you turn thirty your chances of making it as an actor are basically zero, and honestly I'm getting really fucking tired of listening to that, so maybe trying out some other career path would be good for you. And if you don't like it? Then quit, it's that simple. Look, if you're not going to do it for any other reason, then at least do it for the story?"

"I'll do you for the story," Gabriel muttered darkly, grabbing his bag from beside the table and stalking out of the apartment without another word on the matter.

But of course, the White House job and what it could potentially mean for him was the only thing on his mind all day. He didn't even judge the woman who asked to swap marshmallows for raspberries in her sundae like he usually would have done (who the hell would choose extra fruit when they could be eating marshmallows?) Gabriel wasn't exactly the kind of guy to really expect a lot from himself. Balthazar's 'Do it for the story' motto had been pretty much the only thing running through Gabriel's head at every single stage of the application process, and he'd managed to completely convince himself that he didn't have a chance in hell of actually getting this damn job. Because why would he? He'd been turned away by the 7-11 when he was sixteen years old, so why the fuck would the White House accept him? It didn't make sense.

And yet here he was, going about his everyday life, and what nobody around him knew was that he'd been offered a job by the White House.

It made him feel strangely warm inside. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he'd actually achieved something, that he'd been successful. And he wasn't used to that, but it felt good. And he knew that would still be the case even if he turned down the job - that the achievement would still be his own all the same - but maybe if he took the job, the feeling would continue. Maybe he'd do well and he'd actually get to feel good about himself for once.

Probably not, though. But, as Balthazar said - it would be a great story.

\--

"That suit's too big on you."

"Everything is too big on me. Have you seen me? I'm, like, shorter than the average five year old," Gabriel muttered.

Balthazar rolled his eyes, as if to say, 'see what I have to put up with here?' He adjusted the knot in Gabriel's tie (which was some kind of fancy thing the two of them had read about online, rather than the normal kind of knot Gabriel had done once or twice before) and messed around with the jacket so that it hung slightly better.

Gabriel looked in the mirror. He'd never seen himself wear so much black. Even with the light purple tie, he still felt like he was going to a damn funeral. A funeral for his social life, maybe?

Balthazar snapped a picture of Gabe's displeased expression with his phone camera.

"That one's going on Facebook. I'm going to caption it, 'Baby's first day at school.'"

"Don't you fucking dare." Gabriel tried to snatch the phone from Bal's grip.

Balthazar just laughed. "Language. What did I tell you about the F-word not being allowed in the White House? Am I going to have to start a swear jar for you?"

"You know what? I changed my mind about wanting some moral support on the subway. You have a really sucky day, and I'll see you when I get back." Gabriel dragged a comb through his hair one final time and then stormed out into the hall. He really didn't need this crap from Balthazar, today of all days. He couldn't ever remember being this nervous in his life, not even when he auditioned for the recurring role in Community that he didn't even end up getting. And Balthazar clearly didn't understand that, or else he did, and he was an even bigger dick than Gabriel had given him credit for in the past.

He tried to focus on the rhythm of the subway as it carried him underneath the city. If he thought about the subway, then he didn't have to think about the destination, and if he thought about the destination, then he would be in very serious danger of spontaneously combusting in a ball of bright pink flames, something he'd been scared about ever since he'd had a very specific nightmare when he was in middle school. And even if that wasn't necessarily a realistic thing to be scared about, right now there were other things that were. For example, completely messing up on his first day. Having to take tea to the President and dropping it everywhere. Having to speak to the President and accidentally calling him by the wrong name. Having to speak to literally anybody in the White House and revealing himself to be an idiot who knew fuck all about politics. These were all very, very valid concerns that Gabriel didn't want to think about just yet.

So he didn't. He counted the jolts of the subway car and recited Taylor Swift lyrics to himself under his breath and then, once he left the train, he concentrated very hard on the little piece of paper guiding him towards the staff entrance of the White House.

The staff entrance. He was going through a staff door, for staff. 

He had never felt like more of a faker in his life.

He walked into the training room he was directed inside and sat down in a wooden chair that looked like it was polished more often than Gabriel flushed his toilet. Every moment he sat there, he kept expecting someone to poke their head in and tell him that there had been a fuck up (not that they'd use the term fuck up) and that he wasn't supposed to be here and should just go home before he embarrassed himself and everyone within a ten foot radius of him. 

Gabriel wasn't the only new recruit, although he still felt out of place, considering the other four seemed to be identical, with the exact same slicked-down side-parted brown hair, thin glasses and pinstriped suits. Gabriel, with his bright eyes and fluffy, too-long honey blond hair was already feeling like an outsider to some kind of club the way he never had when he'd worked at the ice cream parlor, where he easily made conversation with pretty much anyone. So he didn't speak to anybody else around the table as he waited for his new boss to show up - he just sat in frozen silence, his phone out, one thumb moving up and down the screen, scrolling through pictures of baby red pandas to calm himself down. He tried his best not to listen in on the polite conversation the others were making. He didn't give a shit where they'd all gone to college.

Gabriel's new boss, when she appeared, was a tall blonde woman in a skinny pinstriped pantsuit, carrying more binders than Gabriel thought should be necessary for a job that mostly involved walking and talking.

"Welcome to the White House. My name is Jessica, I'm the head tour guide here and I'll be looking after you new recruits throughout your training process. Today will be mostly an orientation, where I'll talk you through all your training steps and get you acquainted with what it's like to work here, but you could find yourself shadowing a tour as early as tomorrow..."

After a few hours of information being hurled at him from all sides, Gabriel was given a lunch break and directed to a break room, but he didn't feel comfortable sitting at the same table as any of the other staff members. Instead, he dragged a chair over to the side of the room beneath the window, curled up crosslegged on top of it and pulled a fudge sandwich and a cherry soda from his bag.

The only other thing in the bag besides his wallet and keys was the binder he'd been given that morning - almost three hundred pages full of information about the White House and its function and history, all of which he had to memorize for an exam, to be sure he could answer any questions visitors threw at him.

He opened the information guide to the first page, and began to read.

Gabriel had never exactly found reading easy - it wasn't that he didn't enjoy it, it was just that his attention span was so short and there were so many interesting distractions in the world and he generally found it difficult to focus on his reading for more than a few lines at a time. And it's not like this had stopped being the case. It was just that he was so goddamn stubborn that over the next few weeks he just kept powering through, even when his eyes blurred and his head ached, even when Balthazar yelled at him through his bedroom door.

"Hey you! Short-arse! Put on one of those tight shirts, we're going to a bar!"

"You're three inches taller than me, and I'm not going to any bars! I take the exam on Monday!" Gabriel shouted back, turning the page, starting to read about the dentist's office in the basement. He didn't have to take the test so soon, of course, they were offering him plenty more time to finish his training. But he wanted to do this as fast as possible - he felt like as soon as his momentum slipped, everything would get messed up.

"My grandmother would be a better roommate than you!" Balthazar called, though he didn't dare actually go in the room. "At least she knows how to cook something other than Pop-Tarts!"

"Fight me, Balthazar!" was the only response Gabriel could come up with, and a few minutes later he heard the front door slam, indicating that Balthazar had clearly gone out on his own.

And the interesting thing was that the more Gabriel learned, the more he wanted to learn. He didn't care so much about the history of the place; the exact architecture of the banister of the second staircase in the West Wing bored him almost to tears. But all the current events were kind of fascinating. And Gabriel had never even bothered to vote in an election before, because all the presidential candidates had to be over thirty-five which made them automatically old and boring so what was even the point, but President Sam Winchester actually seemed... dare Gabriel say it... cool. Gabriel found himself nodding along and agreeing with a lot of the guy's policies, giving his binder a thumbs up as he read about what the man had already achieved since he'd been elected into office. He was still far too sensible for Gabriel's tastes, but for a politician, he seemed surprisingly badass.

All of which meant that Gabriel found the modern stuff easy to remember, and he walked into the testing room on Monday far more confident in his knowledge than he ever expected to be.

Jessica told him to take a seat at a polished wooden table far too large for him on his own, did a cursory check to make sure he didn't have a phone or a secret set of notes, then handed him a test paper and informed him she'd be back in two hours. She winked at him as she left the room.

"Good luck, Mr Novak," she smiled. "I'm sure you won't need it."

She left, and Gabriel turned over the paper.

_Tour Guide Training Exam_

_Instructions: Answer every question to the best of your ability. Questions worth one point require just a word or a phrase. Questions worth two points require more explanation and should be answered in full sentences. The test is scored out of 200 points and a minimum score of 185 is required to pass. Time Allotted: 2 hours._

_1\. Who was the fifth President of the United States? (1 pt.)_

Gabriel read the question three or four times over, his heartrate increasing with each reread, trying to make sense of it. His brain suddenly felt... slow, like he had honey running through it instead of thoughts. He didn't like it. His breathing sped up to compensate, and he couldn't focus, he could hardly remember where he was.

It had been years since he'd even taken an exam. In college he'd had to write papers, but apart from that one basic math class everyone had to take, he'd never really been in any classes that had a final. Which meant it had been high school since he'd last seriously done this, and even then, he hadn't always shown up to tests.

He stared at the page, the words blurring together as he gripped the table, and he absolutely couldn't do this, he didn't know how. He knew that this morning he'd known exactly who the fifth President of the United States was, and he could have listed their dates, notable achievements and favorite color, but now? Everything was gone, his mind was blank, and he was just a stupid kid who made bad decisions when he'd had too much alcohol.

He couldn't say anything, and he couldn't sit there and face Jessica's disappointment when she came back, not when she clearly expected him to do well. Gabriel ducked out of the closest door, scowling because it was easier to hold back the tears that way, and he threw himself down the corridor and out of sight. He didn't really know where he was going and he was fairly sure he wasn't allowed to be wherever it was, but it was quiet, and quiet was what he needed right now. He turned a few more corners and made his way through corridors with fancy wallpaper and carpets soft enough to go barefoot, and then when he finally found somewhere that seemed like he wasn't going to be interrupted, he sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands.

He was a fucking dumbass. He should have stuck with his instincts; he should never have taken this job just to prove a point. Should have known that it was only going to take a few days for him to fuck everything up. He was going to have a really good cry right here and right now because it didn't matter any more even if someone did catch him - it'd be embarrassing, but he'd get over it. Then, in the morning, he was going to quit and his boss could give the job to someone else, someone who actually knew what they were doing and wasn't a total fraud like Gabriel clearly was.

"Well, I'm certainly not accustomed to finding my employees in the floor back here, but I guess there's a first time for everything."

Gabriel froze. That voice was familiar, though he couldn't quite place it.

Slowly, he raised his head, higher and higher, until his eyes met those of a ridiculously tall man who also just happened to be the President of the United States.

Gabriel's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly in shock.

"Not that I'm complaining. This is the corridor I always come to to get some time away from everyone, and any man who has the same taste in corridors as I do must be someone worth talking to."

President Sam Winchester slid down the wall and settled next to Gabriel, just a few inches away from him.

Gabriel was terrified, but he was nothing if not an actor, and he was an actor who was already planning to quit his job in the morning, so what did he really have to lose?

He laughed. "Hey Sam, how's it going? Nice tie."

President Winchester raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure any of his staff had called him by his first name before. He picked up his tie and inspected it - a light blue plaid pattern, contrasting nicely with his navy blue suit. "Thankyou. It was a birthday present from my brother."

Gabriel grinned, finally getting the chance to put his recent research to good use. "May second, right?" he asked, and then he finger-gunned the President.

President Winchester - Sam, Gabriel supposed, because finger guns generally meant first name terms - chuckled. "That's right. So close to International Star Wars Day, but not quite there."

Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe for the best, you don't want people to start comparing you to Emperor Palpatine. As it is, you can tell your brother when you see him that Gabriel Novak says he has good taste in ties."

"Gabriel Novak, huh?" Sam smiled; a different smile to the one he always did on TV, and Gabriel felt like he was being let in on a secret. "I'll let him know. He'll probably reply with something sarcastic, which I'll then be sure to pass on to you."

Gabriel nodded, deciding it was best not to mention the fact that this was almost certainly his last day on the job. He didn't entirely know how to carry on that conversation, so he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of candies - the secret stash that he didn't usually share with anyone. "Would you like a Jolly Rancher?"

Sam nodded. "The green ones are my favorite."

"Excellent. I like watermelon and blue raspberry, so we can share these just fine."


	2. Enchanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out Gabriel's middle name. Also, flirting.

Gabriel walked into work the next day planning to go straight to Jessica's office and talk to her about quitting. After all, he'd managed to make a fool out of himself in front of the President, and even though the guy hadn't minded, things didn't really get much worse than that. So he walked all the way to her office door, ready to quit his second job in the space of two months, knocked--

\--and got no response.

"Gabriel?"

Gabriel spun round, coming face to face with Jessica, just arriving at work for the morning. Somehow Gabriel, who at his last job had been eternally late and usually ended up dragging a brush through his hair while he served his first white chocolate raspberry sundae of the day, had beaten his boss to work.

"Jessica! Good morning." He straightened his suit jacket. Now he just had to ask her if they could talk inside her office. It wasn't that hard.

"Morning. I'm really, really glad you're here, actually," she panted, and for the first time Gabriel realized that her hair was down and her cheeks were bright red, as though she'd been running.

"Everything okay?" he checked.

"Not really. Look, I know you failed the exam and you have a bunch of training steps to go yet, and this isn't orthodox at all, so it'd be good if you didn't tell anyone, but we have a group of seventh graders coming in today that we'd somehow forgotten to schedule into the official log, and everyone's busy. You're charismatic, I feel like you'd be good with kids, and... is there any chance you could run the tour?"

Gabriel froze, and blinked a few times. "Me? Are you sure?" he squeaked. "A-are you sure you shouldn't be asking one of the others?"

Jessica smiled. "I'm asking you. They might know more of the facts, but I think you'll be better at engaging a group of middle schoolers. If you don't feel like you're ready, then say so, but I'd really appreciate it if you could help out."

Gabriel nodded, barely in control of his own movements, too surprised by this sudden development. "I... yeah. Sure. Course I can do it."

"Great!" Jessica whipped out an itinerary from nowhere. "All the information about the group should be on here, and if you could be waiting for them when they arrive, that would be wonderful. Thanks for your help, Gabriel!"

Gabriel just nodded again as Jessica strode away, already pulling out her phone, busy with something else entirely.

Well, shit. That had been an unexpected development.

Maybe this would only be his second to last day.

He should have worn a better suit.

He unfolded the itinerary, and saw that he had less than an hour to prepare before he had to be waiting by the doors. He really needed to go through the binder and brush up on some of his facts. But, he supposed - Jessica was right. A twelve year old wasn't interested in what year the cabinet room had been moved to their current location (which was lucky, because he couldn't for the life of him remember if it was 1826 or 1862) - he just had to make them laugh and maybe also get them a bit more interested in what was happening in their country, and the day would be a success.

He grabbed a water bottle from the staff room and chugged the whole thing. He'd need it, considering how much he was going to be talking. Then, he gathered up his courage and went to stand in the waiting area, doing at least a fairly acceptable job of pretending he knew his shit.

\--

As soon as the tour was done and the kids were sitting in a room older than their great-great-grandparents, throwing string cheese at each other, Gabriel darted out of a side door and retraced his footsteps from yesterday, tugging off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Unlike yesterday, today he wasn't in danger of bursting into tears, but he was exhausted from having to run after Anne-Marie three times when she tried to escape the group, and from carrying Jamie when he announced that he just couldn't walk any further. The kid had already been taller than Gabriel.

The good kind of exhausted, though. He tipped his head back and smiled, resting it against the wall and feeling his muscles ache as they relaxed into a more natural standing position.

"Hi there. Gabriel Novak, right?"

"Actually, it's Gabriel Steven Novak," Gabe quipped automatically, even as he looked up in surprise at the unexpected visitor, and Sam laughed.

"My apologies, Sir Gabriel Steven Novak. It's good to see you again. How's your day going?"

And fuck if today wasn't just getting stranger and stranger. Here was the President, who had not only remembered his name, but was now standing here joking with him and treating him like an equal. Gabriel didn't even know how he was supposed to answer that question.

He decided that the easiest course of action was just to tell the truth. "I did my first tour today. Went alright. Messed up a few of the facts but is anyone actually gonna notice that I said there were thirty-four bathrooms instead of thirty-two? I mean, is anyone actually gonna go looking and try to count? Nah, I think I'm good."

Sam looked like he was struggling to keep himself from laughing. "If any particularly nosy person does go looking? I promise I'll tell them the other two bathrooms exist, but that they're in my private chambers. I'll invent a whole story and everything."

"Oh, will you?" Gabriel leaned against the wall next to Sam and grinned. "Let's see. So, during the Cold War, there was a huge amount of worry that the White House was going to be infiltrated. And if this was the case, the President needed to have somewhere to go. So they built extra-secret private chambers underneath his already secret private chambers."

"Exactly," Sam chimed in. "And, of course, these extra-secret private chambers required two bathrooms. Because just in case one of the bathrooms had a problem with the plumbing, it would probably be difficult to get anyone in to fix it, so there had to be a... a backup presidential toilet, if you will."

"And, of course, this was considered a very real threat until recently. Which is why news of these secret bathrooms is just now coming to light."

"Which is why the statistic is so often misquoted as just thirty-two bathrooms!" Sam concluded, completely shaking with laughter by this point, his eyes scrunched up and his dimples showing. It was beautiful, and Gabriel felt like he was looking at the sun, but a part of the sun that nobody else got to see.

He'd genuinely liked giving the tour today, and he'd met some really cool people through it, people who he'd never have met any other way. And now he was talking to Sam, and even though Sam wasn't someone he should feel relaxed around, he somehow did, and he was really enjoying their conversation.

And if he quit his job, he wouldn't have any of those things. He'd be back to talking to the same old moody customers every day who complained that the cherry on top of their whipped cream was a bit wrinkled.

Yeah, all things considered, maybe it was a good thing that Gabriel hadn't had the chance to talk to Jessica this morning.

So he went back the next day. He got his work done and ate his lunch ignoring any snide looks he may have been getting from his colleagues. He studied. He re-took the exam. He passed.

And over the next few weeks, while Gabriel finished up his training, doing his best to improvise a new joke on every new tour he gave, he ran into Sam far more often than he was expecting. For a building with fifty-five thousand square feet of floor space, the two of them certainly seemed to coincidentally end up in the same corridor pretty often. After the fifth or sixth time that Gabriel rounded a corner on his way back from the bathroom only to happen upon Sam leaning against the wall, just saying goodbye to somebody on the other end of the phone. If Gabriel didn't know that it was the most ridiculous idea he'd ever had, he'd almost say that Sam was waiting for him, but that would be ridiculous. They just happened to have similar schedules, that was all.

It definitely didn't mean anything when Sam waved to Gabriel and motioned for him to stay, as he said into the phone, "Thanks very much for your help, I'll see you on Thursday," and then hung up and turned his full-sized, dazzling smile on Gabriel, immediately asking him how his day was going.

"It's alright," Gabriel would reply, his huge grin betraying his casual tone, and then he'd launch into some kind of anecdote from one of the tours he'd done that day. "And yourself?" he'd finish.

Sam would probably be too busy laughing by that point to talk too much about his own day, but he'd give Gabriel a few words about what happened, accompanied by a wave of the hand that suggested he wasn't particularly interested in his conferences with the Australian Prime Minister. Gabriel knew that Sam talked about politics way more often than any human should be subjected to ever, so he did his best to change the subject, and the two of them would spend the rest of their break talking about childhood memories, or the best burrito fillings, or Game of Thrones.

And Gabriel would be lying if he said that getting to see Sam didn't become one of the highlights of his days; that it didn't make him feel a tiny bit special.

"Your favorite color's purple? No. No, you're messing with me."

Sam shook his head, laughing. "Why would I be messing with you? Why would I lie about my favorite color?"

Gabe shrugged, laughing just as hard. "Because... I don't know, purple just doesn't seem like you!"

"Oh, you're really going to be shocked when you learn my favorite number."

And then at night, Gabriel would go home and he'd have another read through his binder. The day one of his coworkers had passed the tour exam, they'd thrown their binder into the nearest trash can like it was some kind of ceremony, and Gabriel had been personally offended by the action. Unlike Daniel, apparently, Gabriel didn't want to stop improving his tour just because he was officially qualified now. He was still being picked above the others to do a lot of the tours for kids, and he wanted to make what he said as interesting as possible to them - and if that meant a few nights spent curled up on his daisy-patterned comforter squinting to read the small print in the binder and looking up additional facts online rather than going out drinking with his friends, well, he was actually starting to enjoy feeling like a functional human being in the mornings rather than a hungover zombie.

\--

"So, here's something that's not in your tour guide binder. When I got elected they tried to make me cut my hair. Everyone who worked here staged a hair intervention which suggested that I should not be allowed to have hair long enough to tuck behind my ears. And I told them that the length of my hair had no effect on my ability to be successful in politics." He winked at Gabriel, reaching over to ruffle his hair lightly. "And I was clearly right, because as proven here, all the best people have long hair."

Gabriel blushed. "Yeah. I was surprised they didn't make me cut it. Day before I went to the interview, I was gonna go get it cut, but then I, uh, I forgot. And I only remembered when I was in the waiting room ready for them to call me in. It was a bit too late then."

Sam chuckled. "Well, I am glad you didn't cut it. I like that it's something we have in common."

Gabriel was determined that he'd never let Sam get to him or act starstruck in front of him, but this, this had him close to speechless. "Yeah. So do I. Got the same haircut as the President, good story to tell at parties, yknow?"

"Oh, I tell it too. Talking about you livens up all my boring dinner functions."

"You do not," Gabriel scoffed. Sam just raised an eyebrow and offered him a cryptic half smile.

As soon as Gabriel got through the door of his apartment that night, Balthazar handed him an orange Popsicle. "Hey there, honey, how was work?"

"You're in a good mood," Gabriel observed.

"Damn right I am. It's warm, I opened all the windows and I found the perfect spot on the rug where I can sit and catch the sun. Join me."

Gabriel relaxed instantly, shrugging off random articles of formal clothing as he made his way into the living room and flopped down onto a pillow, and he started to tell the tale of Sam and the haircuts. Technically, technically, he knew he wasn't supposed to repeat anything he learned at work to anyone. But this was hardly work official, and besides, it was Balthazar. His love of gossip was completely beaten out by his hatred for talking about anyone in authority. So Gabriel felt completely safe as he told the story and slurped his Popsicle, both of which were complete with animated hand gestures.

"You're in love with him."

Balthazar said it as soon as Gabriel was done talking, as though it was the simplest and most obvious thing in the world.

Gabriel scoffed. He was used to Balthazar making everything overdramatic, but this was extreme even for him. "He's the fucking President of the United States, of course I'm not in love with him. I'm not allowed to be in love with him."

Balthazar raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but since when have you only done things you're allowed to do?"

Gabriel gave him a look of pure disbelief. "Look, even if he wasn't the President, he's old, he's a million miles out of my league, he's in a different place in his life, and even if I was in love with him, which I am not, it would never, ever happen, for twenty-seven and a half different reasons."

"Counted, have you?"

Gabriel put his head into his hands and moaned. What the hell had he ever done to deserve an asshole like this for a roommate?

"Look, I'm always right about this. Remember Kali? I said you two would be broken up by the end of the summer and I was right. Ash? I said he secretly had feelings for you and I was right. I said Alastair was a mistake and I was right. I'm always right about this shit, and I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're in love with the President."

Gabriel snorted, and then he actually thought about it. Balthazar had said that about Kali, hadn't he? Clearly Gabriel had blocked out that memory somewhere around the sixty-ninth 'I told you so', but he had. Gabriel had always assumed that Balthazar just liked to be an interfering dickface who made unnecessary comments on his love life, and while he absolutely still believed that, he was just now starting to realize that Bal usually did know what he was talking about.

Not always, of course, Gabriel comforted himself. There had been that time with... okay, he couldn't think of a specific time right now, but there had definitely been a time.

This time, of course. This was the time. Because Gabriel wasn't actually in love with Sam. He could totally see Balthazar's confusion, given that Gabriel smiled whenever he thought or talked about Sam, and he found an excuse to bring Sam into every conversation and constantly mentioned the things that he and Sam had done today. But he was sure Balthazar would do exactly the same if he had recently become friends with one of the leaders of the free world. All things considered, Gabriel barely knew Sam, and it didn't matter how many daydreams he may have had about Sam literally sweeping him off his feet and carrying him to his private bedroom, it didn't mean he had any kind of feelings for Sam, because that would be ridiculous.

Completely and totally not true.

Ever.

Gabriel peeked out through his fingertips and blinked up at Balthazar.

"What the hell am I gonna do about it?"

Balthazar just shrugged and said in a matter of face tone, "Nothing you can do. You're screwed."

Gabriel nodded fervently in agreement, sighing, defeated.

"Yeah. This is gonna hurt like a motherfucker when it's over."

\--

"Hey, Gabe!"

Gabriel kept walking. His heart tightened in his chest when he heard Sam's call, and it sped up, the very sound of Sam's voice making him want to smile and bounce in excitement. He refused to let himself, fighting the instinct to run over to Sam and greet him, every step away from Sam physically hurting.

"Hey, Gabe, you ignoring me or something?" Sam jogged round to get in front of Gabriel, grabbing his arm and grinning.

Gabriel couldn't quite bring himself to shrug off Sam's touch. "Not ignoring you. Just busy."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You're not the only one who's busy, you know, I know you have a country to run and that probably takes up a lot of your time and all, but me? I have groups of middle schoolers. And that is a responsibility too. Almost on the same level. In fact, yes, very much definitely on the same level."

Sam's face split into a huge smile and he threw his head back with laughter. "Yes, I agree, middle schoolers are definitely as challenging as running an entire country, and I have a lot of respect for you for having to deal with them. There is a reason why I stick to adults."

Gabriel cursed internally. Dammit. If Sam had got all high and mighty there, been a bit of an asshole and reminded Gabriel that he didn't actually do anything worthwhile, well then, maybe Gabriel would have been able to start getting over him. As it was, Sam was still perfect and Gabriel still had these ridiculous feelings for him that he didn't want anything to do with.

"Yes. Exactly. So I should get back to the, uh, to the middle schoolers," Gabriel nodded, each word painful to make, because he already spent little enough time with Sam and all he wanted was to grab a few minutes here in their special back corridor and laugh until his chest hurt at whatever Sam was saying to him.

"You should, yes, and I should get back to running the country. Alternatively, however..." Sam raised an eyebrow, holding the suspense for a moment longer. "You could take a look at this new folder on my phone of pictures that make me think of you."

Gabriel froze, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be staying away from Sam. "Okay, back up a minute. You what?"

Sam fished his phone out of his pocket, typing in the passcode 4223 and opening his photo album. "Well, sometimes I get bored in meetings. Which shouldn't be all that surprising, you've been in meetings here, you know how tedious they are. So I start going on the internet sometimes and looking at funny pictures and when I looked at a lot of them, I couldn't help thinking that you might appreciate them. So I started saving a few. Here."

He held out the phone, and Gabriel took it. "Do you have folders like this for a lot of people you know?"

Sam shook his head. "Just you."

"Right. Of course," Gabriel mumbled in disbelief, beginning to scroll through the photos. His lip quirked into a smile at the first one, which became a full on grin at around the fourth or fifth, which became uncontrollable giggling as he started to lose count. There were pictures from video games Gabriel liked to play, references to some of his favorite songs, classic funny cat memes, all kinds of things that basically proved that Sam genuinely paid attention to what Gabriel mentioned being interested in.

Sam stood next to him, a proud smile on his face, just watching Gabriel's reactions.

Gabriel reached the end of the album. There'd been so many more than he was expecting.

"So, you like it?" Sam asked, sounding strangely nervous.

"Like it? How could I not?" Gabriel shook his head. "I can't believe all of these things make you think of me."

Sam smiled sadly. "There's not a lot of people I can share stuff like this with. I'm trying to imagine how the Vice President would react if I tried to tell him a joke... I'm pretty sure that man does not possess a sense of humor."

"He'd tell you he was confused, and then you could say, 'Hi Confused, I'm Sam.'"

Sam snorted. "My jokes aren't that bad. Not yet, anyway. They're more like... why did the man put his money in the freezer?"

"I don't know, why did the man put his money in the freezer?" Gabriel replied, as theatrically as possible.

Sam leaned in and whispered, "Because he wanted some cold hard cash."

And Gabriel couldn't stop himself from snorting. "That is the worst joke ever. That is, that is not funny at all, and you are, in fact, an insult to comedians everywhere,"he managed to say between cackles.

"And yet you're laughing. So either it is secretly funny, or you just have a terrible sense of humor," Sam chuckled, winking at Gabriel.

"Yeah, maybe a bit of both," Gabriel admitted, his laughter finally dying down.

When the two of them had finally calmed, they found themselves standing closer to each other than they usually did, gazing into each other's eyes. A light overhead flickered, and the movement was reflected in Sam's eyes, and Gabriel thought they might be even more beautiful than usual. And he'd missed them when he'd tried to stay away from Sam. Was that possible? It surely couldn't be possible.

The conversation he'd had with Balthazar the other day floated back to him, and his gaze fell accidentally to Sam's lips. He'd never let himself look at them before, assuming they were off limits - but now he let himself stare, imagining for the first time (or the first time consciously) what they might feel like against his.

Sam hummed, watching Gabriel, not breaking the eye contact. Gabriel had never been this close to him before, so he'd never quite realized just how tall Sam was. It suddenly felt like there were miles of space between them.

Sam had lips that were just like anybody else's lips, and yet there was no way Gabriel could reach them.

After a long moment, Sam coughed and leaned back against the wall again, folding his arms casually. "I'm sorry. Not sure what happened there."

"Yeah, just, zoned out for a moment," Gabriel nodded, trying to brush it off, trying to ignore the fat that his stomach felt unsettled just like it did when all he had to eat in a day was the free sundaes he used to get at the ice cream parlor.

"Yeah, me too," Sam nodded, relieved. "But, uh, thankyou for laughing at my bad jokes. And it was very nice to see you again, Gabriel. It always is."

Gabriel mimed tipping his hat to Sam as the other man walked away down the corridor, and then when Sam was gone, he turned and banged his head on the wall five times in quick succession.

\--

Gabriel didn't see Sam for the next couple of days. He saw him, of course - between internal broadcasts and segments on the news that Gabriel caught glimpses of in bars and random posts on the internet, it was pretty much impossible to avoid him. But that wasn't the same as seeing him. Gabriel did his best to avoid their usual corridor or anything else close by, and unless he was doing a tour he kept to the area reserved for the lower staff, where he knew Sam wasn't going to show up.

One morning, precisely six days minus three hours and thirty-eight minutes since Gabriel had last seen Sam (not that he was counting, and not that it hurt his chest to think about how much he missed the two of them just existing in the same general orbit) Jess strode into the room for the morning tour guide meeting, waving cheerfully at everyone. She seemed to be in a good mood, and not too stressed that day, which made Gabriel smile. As far as bosses went, she was definitely one of the best that he'd had, and he didn't want her to have to worry about stress too much.

So he smiled and greeted her good morning, and she gave him a strange frown. It didn't seem to be angry of anything, more just confused, but it was still a little offputting.

Jess reached the front of the room. "Alright, great work this week everyone! It's Friday, and as we all know, Friday is always busy for visits, so you are going to have some pretty big groups today. But I know all of you can handle it - just remember to speak as loudly as possible, and involve the people at the back of the group in the tour just as much as you involve the people in the front. Now..."

Some of the other, more experienced tour guides were shaking their heads at Jess' advice as though they knew it all already, but Gabriel leaned forward and paid attention. Maybe, he thought, if he worked hard and stopped taking extra long lunch breaks to go flirt with the President, maybe he could actually do her job one day.

Unlikely. But a guy had to have his unachievable dreams.

Jessica passed out itineraries for the day to everyone, and Gabriel saw some of the other tour guides groaning at their schedules. That wasn't a good sign at all. If the older recruits were groaning, then the new hires, especially Gabriel, were sure to have even more to do today, and that wasn't a fun prospect. Sure enough, Gabriel was pretty sure that Daniel, one of the guys who was hired with him, was about to run out of the room and throw himself down the stairs when he saw his own schedule.

"Gabriel Novak?"

Gabriel's head whipped up when his name was called, holding out a hand to take his schedule. "Yes?"

Jessica wasn't holding any more schedules - she was still looking at him with that same confused expression from before.

"President Winchester wants to see you."

"What?" Gabriel blurted, and everyone else in the room perked up too, so that every eye was fixed on him.

Jess took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. "President Winchester wants to see you in the Oval Office. I'm not sure why. He's never wanted to talk to a tour guide before."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prize to the first person to tell me the significance of Sam's phone passcode. ;D


	3. Fearless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheese and crackers and porn.

Gabriel nodded, jerkily, his head spinning. Sure, he and Sam talked, but he hadn't thought that Sam wanted anyone to know about it, he'd always considered it kind of separate from his life at work, and he certainly hadn't expected Sam to notice that they'd missed a few days, but... "Right. Okay. So, I go up there? On my own? Will they let me in? Do I need to do, like, five extra security checks?"

That had been a dumb thing to say, and he cringed as soon as he was done talking, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. Putting on an act was only good until something shocked him enough to pull him out of character.

Luckily, Jess chuckled, and she seemed to understand. "No, you don't need extra security clearance. You have an appointment. Take as long as you need, of course, and whenever you finish, come to my office and I'll assign you whatever tasks still need doing."

Gabriel nodded again, and stood up to walk out of the room. He couldn't feel his own body. He put one foot in front of the other but he barely paid attention to where he was going, and although he was thinking, it was like he wasn't quite in his own mind. He walked a route he'd never been allowed to walk before, never dared, but that he had to know off by heart, because he'd had to memorize the entire floor plan. He remembered staring at diagrams of rooms and corridors in his binder, squinting to look more closely at them because he didn't want to put on his glasses.

Looking at them on the floor plan was absolutely nothing like actually being here, in person, tentatively stepping through the corridors, expecting that at any moment somebody was going to see him there and yell at him, saying that he was a stupid kid who needed to go back downstairs where he belonged.

Nobody stopped him, and in no time at all, he was standing in front of Sam's door.

He knocked. Waited.

No response.

He took a few deep breaths, and tried to tell himself that Sam wasn't ignoring him. He'd _asked_ to see him, after all. Gabriel supposed that the doors here were a lot thicker than what he was used to, so he raised his fist and knocked again, as hard as he could.

The door swung open - too quickly, as though somebody had been waiting just inside the room for him.

It was Sam.

"Hey," Gabriel grinned, coming back to himself fully for the first time since he'd heard the news.

"Good morning, Gabriel," Sam smiled back, stepping aside. "Come in."

Gabriel walked inside, glancing around the room. "Hey, look, it's just like it is on TV! Except there's no waitstaff - I wasn't expecting you to be the one who opened the door, you know? I figured there'd be one guy, like a butler who did that, and then someone else who was taking notes on everything you said, someone else who was feeding you cheese and crackers... you know."

Sam chuckled. "You don't have to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous. Who said I was nervous? I don't know what you're talking about, Sam - President Winchester - I am actually quite fearless, just as-" Gabriel broke off, knowing he wasn't convincing in the slightest.

"Yeah, you are. You're babbling. And it's cute, but honestly, I'm nervous enough right now. And I kind of like the fact that usually you're not nervous around me, and so... yeah, I need you to be the one with your head screwed on straight today."

"Not much chance of that," Gabriel mumbled to himself automatically. "Wait. Why are you nervous?"

Sam took a deep breath and pulled back a chair, offering it to Gabriel. He then took one next to him. "I... first off, nobody has ever fed me cheese and crackers in my life. I'm sure I have staff who'd be willing to bring me cheese and crackers, but, I think if I asked them to feed them to me, even they might think it was a step too far."

Gabriel giggled, trying to calm his nerves (and Sam's), even though at the same time he was kind of worried about what could possibly be bad enough to make Sam nervous. "I'd do it. I don't even work for you directly, but if you asked me to feed you cheese and crackers, I would."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

Gabriel snorted, glancing around the room once more, not seeing any cheese. Or any crackers, for that matter.

"Not literally cheese and crackers," Sam amended. "Just... God, I'm doing a really shitty job of this, aren't I?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I mean, it'd help if you'd tell me what you were trying to do?"

Sam nodded, stood up and began pacing the room. "Okay. Yeah. So, here's the thing. These past few years - and by that, I mean, pretty much since I left college - I've been completely focused on my career. I mean, I'm one of the youngest Presidents in history, that's always been my goal, I wanted to do the job before I got too old to feel like I could understand what young people need. I want to see the future after I'm done, actually experience the impact I've had, not live out the end of my days in this job... well. That's not the point. Point is, because I've been so completely focused on that goal and on not doing anything that could possibly screw it up or cause a scandal, I haven't... dated anyone. Not since I was young."

Gabriel's world tilted all over again. He dug his nails into his thigh, feeling small, sharp points of pain even through the fabric of his pants. "Are you... are you asking me for dating advice?"

Sam laughed. "No, I'm not asking you for dating advice. I probably need it, but, no, I was just trying to give you some backstory on what my life's been like recently, and maybe also make excuses for myself. Because the truth is I have met someone recently who makes me laugh and smile and feel better when I'm having a bad day. And that person... I'd really like to spend some more time with them. And I wasn't going to do anything about it, because I assumed they would never, ever feel the same, but then that person almost kissed me the other day..."

Sam seemed to be gasping for every breath, fighting to make each word, until he tailed off completely. Gabriel just stared at him, trying to put the pieces together in his mind, look at this objectively. He knew what conclusions he would draw if this situation wasn't between him and the President. If it was between two normal people, it would be obvious. But here... it couldn't possibly be that simple.

"Sam."

Sam nodded. "Gabriel?"

Gabriel just stared at him, eyes wide in desperate confusion. "Sam... I... who is it? Please tell me, you have to tell me, I can't..."

Sam looked back with just as much desperation in his eyes and gave his head a tiny shake.

And Gabriel understood. He saw, in that moment, that Sam had done enough. He always took the lead and made the decisions, but that was in things he was confident about. Situations where he knew what he was doing. Here, on the other hand... this was Gabriel's area of expertise. Gabriel could pretty much always get a date, flirting with the pretty girls who came into the ice cream parlor or with the pretty guys he met in bars late at night, never worrying about finding someone to go out with on a Friday night. And Sam didn't do any of that.

And he needed Gabriel to do this, if it was going to happen at all. 

Gabriel placed a shaking hand on Sam's leg. "Uh, theoretically, if that person was me? I'm not saying it _is_ me, but if it _was_ me, I would be happy about it. And I would want those things too."

It was all he could manage. He was convinced that Sam was going to laugh in his face, say that he was ten million miles out of Gabriel's league (which was the truth) and order Gabriel out of his office. But he felt somehow better, knowing he'd said it, knowing he'd put himself out there and done his best to help Sam. Helping Sam was important, after all. Sam was always helping everyone else, and he needed someone to return the favor once in a while.

Sam jerked his head a few times. "It is you," he choked. "Of course it's you."

"I don't underst--"

"You think you're the only one?" Sam hiccuped. He rubbed his forehead with one hand. "I don't fall for people. Not like this, and not yet. I've got better things to do, and I didn't _want_ this to happen, but then you just showed up being beautiful and funny and you listened to me and cared about me for _me_ and I just couldn't stop myself..."

Gabriel leaned in close, and it was an awkward angle, the two of them on wooden chairs beside one another, Gabriel's armrest digging into his stomach, but he didn't care. "You think I'm beautiful?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't think it. I know it. It's a fact. But there's so much more to you than-"

Gabriel didn't let him elaborate. He wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders and lurched forward those last few inches to meet Sam's lips, taking him completely by surprise. Sam let out a startled squeak and pulled back.

"Sorry!" Gabriel cringed, screwing his eyes shut in embarrassment. "I should have asked, I didn't mean to just-"

Sam's cheeks were bright red. "No, it was my fault, I wanted you to, but... I hope I remember how to do this."

"Well, I'll show you how I do it, and you can just follow on, okay?" Gabriel whispered. This time, he moved more slowly, just the tiniest flutter of his lips bringing them into contact with Sam's. Sam didn't respond right away, but he didn't pull back, and his lips were impossibly soft against Gabriel's, and Gabriel could feel Sam breathing hard beside him. So Gabriel kept going, and before too long Sam parted his lips just the tiniest bit, sighing softly against Gabriel as he kissed back, slow and tentative but getting more confident with every movement.

He stayed there until the armrest of the chair started to get too painful for him, and then he scrambled up into Sam's lap, hoping that Sam wouldn't push him off, taking that risk because the only important thing right now was that he could keep kissing Sam. The position wasn't that much better, his knees awkwardly jammed either side of Sam's legs, but at least they were closer now. At least Gabriel was better able to tangle a hand in Sam's hair and press even closer, swiping his tongue over Sam's bottom lip.

"That can't be comfortable," Sam groaned between kisses.

"Not in the slightest," Gabriel replied, tugging gently on his fistful of hair and kissing Sam yet again.

Sam grabbed Gabriel by the collar of the shirt he'd spent an hour ironing this morning, picked him up and slammed him into the door of the room, attacking Gabriel's lips with his own, pulling on Gabe's bottom lip and twisting it around between his teeth. Gabriel gasped, and he hadn't been expecting the movement in the slightest. He'd thought Sam would want to take it slow, not have him up against the wall within a few minutes, but he certainly wasn't complaining. Apparently there were some skills that just never got forgotten, and Gabriel made a note to ask Sam about his college experiences at some point.

Gabriel felt himself harden as the kiss deepened, and he tried his very best not to thrust against Sam's thigh, but it was a challenge when Sam was pinning him so effectively, raking a hand through Gabriel's hair, towering over him and completely claiming him as his own-

And then all of a sudden, Sam pulled back, and in contrast to how vulnerable he'd been a few minutes ago, now he barely looked affected at all.

"Wha-" Gabriel said, sounding completely unintelligible, and he was sure that he for one looked like a complete wreck.

"Not here," Sam hissed, stepping forward to comb through Gabriel's hair with his fingers, trying to return it to some semblance of normality.

"But-" Gabriel tried to protest.

"No buts. It's not worth the scandal. Now get rid of that-" he pointed to the really obvious tent in Gabriel's suit trousers- "or at least put on a long coat or something to hide it. Now. Do you have an apartment? Is it empty right now?"

Gabriel nodded in response to both questions.

"Alright. Give me the address. I'll meet you there in an hour. If anyone asks, you're sick and you're taking the rest of the day off. Don't tell anybody that you saw me or that I'm going to be with you. You got that?"

Gabriel nodded, crying with frustration on the inside. A whole hour? Sam completely blew his mind like that, and then expected him to wait for him for a whole hour? He ducked out of the room and managed to avoid running into anybody until he'd grabbed his coat, and then left via a back entrance and ran towards the subway station, barely thinking about where he was going because his mind was taken over with thoughts of Sam. He'd been nervous before they started, but once they got going Sam hadn't seemed bothered at all by the kiss he and Gabriel had shared, and Gabriel wondered what, exactly, it would take to mess up Sam's calm exterior. What if he sank to his knees the very second he got Sam into his bedroom, took him into his mouth all the way with no warning whatsoever - would that get some kind of noise from Sam? Would that make him lose control a bit? Or would it take more than that? Would Gabriel have to spread Sam out on the bed and press his fingers into Sam's hole, stroking ever so gently across his prostate, holding Sam's hips still so that he couldn't get any friction with the bed, waiting for him to beg for him-

This train of thought was, of course, a very bad idea on the subway. It was even worse when Gabriel actually reached his apartment, and after sending Balthazar a quick text to not come back within the next few hours at all costs, he retreated to his bedroom and tried to play a video game to take his mind off everything. But his mind kept wandering back to Sam in various states of undress, and his cock jerked every time he imagined it, and he had to press his hand into his own crotch and rock up against it. He was struggling not to just unzip his pants and jerk himself off right then and there, knowing that he absolutely could not do that because he had to wait for Sam, but at the same time, not knowing how much longer he could hold onto these last shreds of self control. He was not a patient man, and Sam was a fucking tease, promising him something like this and then waiting such a long time to deliver.

Somewhere in the back of Gabriel's mind he registered that he had just called the President of the United States a 'fucking tease'. That probably wasn't a thought a great many people had had, or at least not in this context.

He groaned out loud in relief when he heard a knock on his door, running to it and swinging it open before he could even consider the possibility of it not being Sam. Luckily, it was, and he stood alone in front of Gabriel's door, wearing a dark coat with the hood pulled up, glancing surreptitiously around so as not to be recognized. He pushed his way into the apartment the second Gabriel opened the door.

"Sorry for the secrecy," he muttered. "It wouldn't do for anybody to know where I am right now, as you can imagine."

Gabriel smirked as he wrapped an arm around Sam's waist, pulling him tight to him. "So I'm your dirty little secret, am I?" he asked with a flutter of his eyelashes.

Sam blushed. He actually blushed. Gabriel Novak had just made President Winchester blush.

Then, he glanced down to the tent that was still in Gabriel's pants. "I wouldn't exactly refer to you as little."

Gabriel glanced back up to meet Sam's eyed, and then, he burst into giggles. "What are we, in a porno? That was the worst line I've ever heard. And that's me talking, come on!"

Sam looked like he was trying to hold back his laugh, but eventually he failed, and he collapsed into hysterics too. "Alright, alright, it's been a while since I've done anything like this, you know!"

"How long?" Gabriel asked, turning more serious as he slipped his hand inside Sam's and led him over to the bedroom.

Sam gave that some thought. "Not since before I got elected to state senate. It wasn't worth the risk, you know? I had a long term girlfriend in grad school who I... lost when I decided to run. She supported me and said she wanted me to do well but... she couldn't deal with the pressure of being in the public spotlight. I didn't blame her. But, yes, she was the last, and that was a while ago now."

Gabriel nodded slowly, not sure what to say to that. "I'm sorry."

"When was the last time for you?" Sam asked, and now it was Gabriel who blushed, and tried not to meet Sam's eyes.

"I won't judge you," Sam added hurriedly. "Just because casual sex isn't something I do a whole lot, doesn't mean I'm against people who do. I'm not going to mind even if it was this morning."

"It's not that," Gabriel murmured. "Usually you'd be right. Usually I do have quite a lot of sex, all things considered. But recently, I haven't particularly wanted to. Because-" He stopped himself before he said anything too incriminating.

"Because?" Sam checked, looking interested, and a little concerned.

"Because I was waiting for you," Gabriel said in a rush.

Sam turned to stare at Gabriel. He looked like that was the last thing he'd been expecting Gabriel to say in a million years. "Me?"

And with that, Gabriel didn't want to talk anymore. He hadn't been lying. He had been waiting for Sam, hadn't been able to even consider being with anyone else pretty much since the moment they met, and now they were in a bedroom and both of them clearly wanted it and Gabriel was done with the whole waiting thing. He stood up on tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck, tugging him down into a kiss, moaning almost the second he felt Sam's lips brush against his. He parted his lips and flicked his tongue into Sam's mouth, exploring, getting to know Sam as best he could, and he marvelled at how few people had ever got to know Sam quite like this, and he felt honored to be one of the few.

When he pulled away, he pushed at Sam's shoulders and sat him on the side of the bed, then climbed on top of him, kneeling astride his lap to kiss him even more.

"Who said you were the one in charge here?" Sam panted as Gabriel pulled back to kiss down Sam's neck, sucking ever so gently on his pulse point, not enough to leave a noticeable mark, just enough for Sam to feel.

"I did," Gabriel replied with a smirk. "You got a problem with that, President?"

Sam shook his head wordlessly and let Gabriel slip off his jacket and lie him back on the pillows, getting to work unbuttoning his shirt. The problem, Gabriel quickly learned, with having to wear a suit to work and then sleeping with someone who also wore a suit to work, was that there were a lot more buttons to undo than usual. And there was no way he was gonna rip Sam's shirt off, considering it probably cost more than this apartment. But eventually, he managed to get rid of both of their clothes, and when he lay down on top of Sam with nothing in between the two of them... it was totally, completely worth the wait.

Sam was hot in every possible sense of the word, and Gabriel couldn't remember ever just enjoying the feel of someone's body beneath him as much as he was right now. The two of them fit together in a way Gabriel had never realized he was missing before today, but that he now couldn't imagine being without. He leaned in to kiss Sam again, and even the kisses were more intense with all the added points of contact between them, and Gabriel couldn't help hitching his hips downwards into Sam's. 

He was met with a whimper and with  an equally insistent thrust of Sam's own hips, proving to Gabriel that Sam was at least as hard as he was, and from then on it was almost impossible for Gabriel to control himself. He rocked down into Sam's hips faster and faster, making sure to rub their cocks together as much as possible, dipping down to kiss Sam between every gasp of air, and it felt so good to just completely lose himself in the moment and not think or worry about anything but the friction between him and Sam, both of them holding each other as tight as they possibly could. Gabriel could feel Sam's fingers digging into his back, and he was running his own hands up and down Sam's arms, kissing all the way down his neck, determines to touch every inch of him before they were done here.

"Are we doing this? Are we really doing this?" Sam breathed, panting, and Gabriel wasn't sure if it was from arousal or from fear. He thought probably at least a little bit of both. Something about the tone made him pull back, forcing his hips to stop their desperate jerks.

Gabriel cupped Sam's face, stroking his cheek, trying to ground him. "Shh, it's okay. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. You just tell me to move away and I will."

Sam blinked a few times, staring up at the naked Gabriel on top of him, and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, just for a minute."

Gabriel climbed off and laid down next to Sam, keeping a few inches of space between them, except for the hand that was still on Sam's face. "Talk to me, beautiful, what's wrong?"

The endearment slipped out without him expecting it, but he couldn't afford to freak out over it, not right now, not when Sam was clearly as worried as he was right now. "I just, it's been such a long time. I did this... with men... in college, but I kept it quiet, I didn't talk about it, and it's been years since I've done this with anybody, and I forgot what it felt like, and it's... a lot."

Gabriel smiled, and he knew it probably wasn't easy for Sam to find the right words, not when he was so inexperienced with them.

"Yeah, it feels really different to your hand, I know that. But I've got lots of experience. Trust me. Lots and lots. And, sure, none of it has been with someone as hot as you, which definitely does make a difference, but at the same time, I know what I'm doing, and if you'll let me, I'll make sure your second first time is as good as it can possibly be. And if you'd rather I didn't do that right now, then I'll put my clothes back on and make you tacos. It's completely up to you."

Sam smiled shakily, leaning in to kiss Gabriel again. "You should really be off with one of those young and kinky people you meet in bars who do this just as much as you do and aren't going to be stopping things every five minutes."

Gabriel pulled a face. "Hell no. I want to be with you. This is already the best sex I've ever had and we haven't even had sex yet."

"That's the worst line I've ever heard. You're not smooth," Sam shook his head, but at least he was laughing now, and Gabriel could see him physically relaxing.

"Maybe not, but I have plenty of lube to help with that," Gabriel waggled his eyebrows, sending Sam dissolving into another fit of laughter.

"Stop that, this is supposed to be a serious moment!"

"No it's not!" Gabriel joined in with the laughter. "Sex isn't serious, it's funny and awkward and it's the weirdest, messiest thing you'll ever do with anyone, but if you really like someone then it's also super awesome, and I really like you, and I think you might really like me too, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so... what do you want to do?"

Sam waited until his laughter had died down before replying. "Maybe we just... with hands?" He gestured down to his cock, which had softened against his stomach but was perking up again in response to Gabriel's hungry eyes on it. "And save the actual... penetration part for another time?"

"That's a horrible word," Gabriel shook his head. "But, fuck yes. If that means I get to touch your cock? You have no idea how much I like this plan."

Sam flushed bright red, and Gabriel winked at him. "Are you blushing because I said the word cock or because it's obvious how desperately I want to get my hands on it?"

Sam whimpered, widening his eyes and squirming a little on the bed.

"I'll assume that means both. Either way, I'm getting back on top of you now. Tell me if you want me to stop at any time and I will, right away, but other than that, I'll take the lead. That okay with you?"

Sam nodded, and Gabriel straddled him again, bending down and claiming Sam's lips in a desperate kiss that had both of them moaning into each other's mouths. Gabriel wanted more than anything to bite down on Sam's lips and leave them red and bruised, but he knew that he wasn't allowed to do that; he couldn't do anything that might look suspicious when Sam was at work. He glanced down, and wondered if maybe Sam might let him mark up his chest and thighs when the two of them got a little braver with each other. Just the thought of the bruises he could suck into those perfect thighs made him groan.

"Fuck, Sam," he whispered. "It's not fair of you to keep this body hidden underneath a suit all the time. More people should get to appreciate this, you know. God, I just want to worship every inch of you, have you lie here for hours underneath me while I kiss every tiny piece of your skin until you're leaking all over your stomach and begging me for more..."

Sam choked on an unintelligible cry and bucked his hips up into Gabriel's, looking like he had no control over his actions.

"Sorry, too much?" Gabriel apologized. "I can cut back on the dirty talk... I just have so many ideas for all the things I want to do to you. So many. I mean, can you blame me? When you're the person I get to do these things with? I mean, I see your cock and I just want to wrap my lips around it and get it all nice and wet so that I can... fuck, sorry, I'm the opposite of you, once I start saying shit like this I can't stop myself."

Sam let out another desperate whine, and Gabriel decided to put him out of his misery. He ran a hand down Sam's chest, brushing over a nipple as he did so and making Sam shiver, and then took Sam's cock in one hand - just a loose grip at first, holding Sam gently to give him time to get used to the sensation.

Sam didn't even make a noise at that - just stared at Gabriel like he had never seen anything like him in his entire life.

"Okay?" Gabriel checked. "You can just nod or shake, it's okay if you can't talk, I just need to know if I should keep going or not-"

Gabriel hadn't even finished his sentence when Sam started nodding vigorously, and Gabriel rewarded him with a slow squeeze to his cock.

"Fuck, you feel even better than you look, if that's possible..." Gabriel murmured, beginning to stroke Sam, running his thumb over the head of Sam's cock to gather his precome and make the slide easier. Sam was a surprisingly active participant, his hips hitching into Gabriel's hand, his breath coming in gasps, his hands tight in the sheets and his eyes screwed shut. 

"Look at me, Sam. Can you do that for me? Can you look at me so that I can see you?"

Sam shook his head. "Too much - if I look at you I'll just - right away."

Gabriel smiled and slowed down his movements, though he kept stroking. "Hey, that's okay. You don't have to. But I don't care how fast you come. I want to feel you, want to know what it's like when you come all over both of us, just from my hand, want to see the look on your face when I'm the first person to do that to you in so many years. God, it'll be the most beautiful thing, I can already tell... please, Sam, show me what you look like."

"Gabriel!" Sam shouted, unexpectedly, his hips moving even faster and his eyes flying open to meet Gabriel's own.

"Fuck," Gabriel cursed, feeling his own cock harden even more at that, and he thrust his hips against Sam's thigh a few times, trying to relieve some of the pressure. He sped up his hand on Sam's cock, because Sam's face was twisting into almost-pain with how close he was, and Gabriel didn't want to make him wait any longer, not after he'd waited long enough.

And it could have been the faster movements, or the feel of Gabriel's cock against him, or even the other hand that was holding onto Sam's hip, but Sam's breath caught in his throat and his mouth opened in a silent cry, his hips giving a few more desperate jerks as he came all over Gabriel's hand, even reaching his stomach and chest as Sam's cock spurted over and over again, his orgasm going on for a really long time.

When he finally relaxed after a few last tiny dribbles of come over his own cock, Sam grabbed Gabriel by the arm and pulled him down for a kiss. When Gabriel pulled back, he saw that Sam was crying.

Gabriel kissed away one of the tears from Sam's cheek. "You okay there?"

Sam's voice sounded completely wrecked as he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. That was just... even better than I imagined it."

"You imagined it?" Gabriel asked, and his voice was hopeful and tender instead of seductive.

"Yeah. Yeah, so many times. Dreamed about it too," Sam confessed, his cheeks flushing red again.

Gabriel shook his head, not even sure what to say to that. Usually, "Shit, that's hot," would have been an appropriate response, but somehow here there seemed to be a lot more to it than that. Yes, it was hot, but it also meant something to him, and he didn't quite know how to convey that to Sam.

Luckily, he didn't have to. Sam squeezed Gabriel's arm again, bringing him back to the moment. "You, uh, you didn't... yet, right?"

"No. That's okay, though. You're a lot more important," Gabriel tried to reassure him, despite the fact that now that Sam had reminded him, Gabriel's cock was throbbing all over again, so hard that it hurt, and he desperately wanted to get off, even if it meant he had to go into the bathroom and jerk himself frantically and hope Sam didn't figure out what he was doing.

But Sam reached down between the two of them and took Gabriel's cock in one clumsy, inexperienced hand. "No, I want to know what you feel like, too," Sam whispered.

"Shit..." Gabriel groaned, already trying to rub himself against Sam's hand. "Yeah, just like that, Sam, tighten your hand, go faster, you don't need to be gentle. Just wanna come."

Sam did as he was instructed, and on the one hand, Gabriel could tell that Sam's rhythm wasn't perfect, that he wasn't sure about what he was doing, and it should have been offputting. But on the other hand... this was Sam, and that pretty much made up for any technique problems. So it wasn't long at all before Gabriel was whimpering over and over again, his cries interspersed with Sam's name, climbing fast towards his own orgasm.

"Fuck, Sam, gonna come, don't stop, don't stop ever," he whined, warning Sam just in case he wasn't quite ready to feel that, but there seemed to be no danger of that, because Sam just sped up his hand even more, staring at Gabriel like he was absolutely determined to make this happen.

And fuck if it wasn't the hottest thing ever to have the President of the United States completely and one hundred per cent focused on trying to get Gabriel off. Gabriel was absolutely not going to survive that, and he let out an inappropriately loud noise that he would definitely have to apologize to his neighbors for later as he came too, his mind clouding over and lightning bursting behind his eyes as he exploded all over Sam's hand.

All he wanted to do after that was fall on top of Sam, curling up and dropping off to sleep, but he thought he really should be the responsible one here. Gathering the last tiny bits of his energy, he dropped a quick kiss to Sam's lips, and whispered, "Be right back," before heading to the bathroom to grab a warm washcloth. He cleaned himself and Sam up, and Sam mumbled something sleepily that Gabriel couldn't quite make out.

"Hey," Gabriel whispered when he was done, despite how much willpower it took him. "Hey, wake up, gorgeous. You have work to get back to, don't you?"

Sam groaned and buried his face into Gabriel's chest, pulling him close. Apparently Sam got especially tired and affectionate after sex. Gabriel would have to remember that for the next time he was already hoping for.

"I know. I know. But we all have to do it. Well, not me, cause Jessica knows I'm in a meeting with you, and honestly this is the best work meeting I've ever had in my life. But you, Sir, have a country to run, and a pretty big one at that."

"Five more minutes," Sam mumbled.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "How old are you? Fine. Fine. Five more minutes. Actually, twenty minute power nap, but I'm setting a whole bunch of alarms, okay?"

Sam nodded, and Gabriel grabbed his phone and turned the volume up to maximum, giving them twenty minutes to rest. He had barely set the phone back down on his bedside table before he fell down next to Sam and dropped off to sleep, comforted by the warm body surrounding him.


	4. Superman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Dates. And second dates. And third, fourth, fifth dates......

"Alright, alright, I'll get out of here. Do I look okay? Can you tell I've just been... you know?"

Gabriel giggled, and jumped up to kiss Sam on the cheek, because it was the cutest thing ever that he was still so embarrassed over this. "No, you look just as perfectly put together as you always do on TV. And you haven't even had anyone do your makeup today! Although, I do amazing makeup, so if you ever want me to..."

Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel, squeezing him tight in another hug, and this was so different from the Sam a couple of days ago who'd been too scared to bend down those last few inches and kiss Gabriel. "Right now I think that would just prompt even more questions, but, I will consider taking you up on that some other time."

"Fair enough. Hey, are you going to be okay figuring out a decent excuse to give to your staff? Cause I'm good at excuses. I'm an actor. Almost."

Sam grinned. "Don't worry about that, I'm good at excuses too. How do you think I've managed to get away with hiding in secret back corridors with you for so long?"

"Wait, you were supposed to be working then?" 

Sam winked. "Yeah, but you were always more interesting. Which is unprofessional of me, but I think I've earned it after fifteen years of nothing but work, don't you?"

Gabriel nodded. He couldn't really deny that.

"Here," Sam added. "Give me your phone, I'll give you my personal cell number, and then... you can text me. I'll probably be up late tonight and drinking a lot of coffee so that I can catch up on the work I've missed, and I will appreciate the distraction."

Gabriel grinned and handed over his phone. "Will do."

He grinned even wider when he saw that Sam had put the heart eyes emoji after his name in Gabriel's phone.

\--

The problem with having a serious crush on the President of the United States was that there was nowhere you could realistically take him for a first date. Gabriel had had to impress people on dates before, and had taken them to all kinds of famous historical sites around the city. In fact, before he'd failed out of college he'd actually once taken a guy on a romantic walk around the White House gardens. But he didn't think that would quite cut it with Sam. Never mind that Sam would be recognized anywhere public in the country where he stepped foot, but Gabriel was sure that Sam already had to visit places like the Smithsonian and the Lincoln Memorial on official business so often, that he'd never actually want to go there on his free time.

And this meant that Gabriel had to get really, really creative. 

 _I heard that people like getting cute good morning texts, so this is me saying: Good morning, Samflower!_ Gabriel texted Sam one day, because sue him, he was definitely still trying to come up with the perfect nickname that he could call Sam.

 _I don't think it counts as a good morning text if it comes at 1pm when I've already had lunch_ , Sam texted back immediately.

_Hey, it's my day off. What am I supposed to do, get up early just so I can text you?_

_Yes. I would appreciate that. It's the least you can do if you're not here to give me a shoulder massage._

Gabriel rolled his eyes, giggling to himself as he danced around his kitchen in his pajamas, making himself some pancakes. _Noted for next time I have a day off, which is basically never. But on that note. Would you be able to make some time to come over one evening soon?_

_I'm sure I can clear my schedule for an important business meeting with a foreign consultant. Why?_

_You'll see, Pumpkin. You'll see._

Gabriel giggled to himself even harder as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, picturing Sam sitting at his desk typing up some important report to send to the Secretary of State and puzzling over what Gabriel could possibly be planning. And in truth, Gabriel didn't entirely know himself yet, but he was going to figure something out and it was going to be absolutely perfect.

At that moment, Balthazar showed up in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, with one of the worst cases of bedhead that Gabriel had ever seen in his life. "Smelled pancakes."

"You smelled my pancakes? Don't they smell amazing? Don't they smell like they are totally, completely, all mine?" Gabriel was in a really good mood, still dancing as he grabbed the maple syrup from the refrigerator and tossed it between his hands.

Balthazar was in a less good mood, and he grabbed the syrup out of mid air. "Yeah, I'm not giving you the syrup back unless you share the damn pancakes."

Gabriel opened the fridge once more, looking to see if they had any strawberry syrup instead, but of course they just had to be out.

"Fine. Fine, I'll share the pancakes. But you should know that I hate you."

"I hate you too," Balthazar grumbled, setting the coffee pot to boil. "Why are you so happy, anyway?"

Gabriel tossed a pancake high in the air and caught it perfectly in the frying pan, just showing off that he could. Then, he flopped down in the chair opposite Balthazar's, leaned forward, eyes sparkling ready to impart a great secret. "I have a date."

Balthazar sighed with relief. "Fucking finally. You've been pining over that old guy with a minor position of responsibility for way too long, and I reckon someone young and hot to help you get over him is exactly what you need."

Gabriel's smile didn't fade. If anything, it got bigger, and he refused to break eye contact with Balthazar.

"So, what are they like? Guy? Girl? Where did you meet? Did you bang yet?"

Gabriel didn't respond, but by this point his grin was so huge it was verging on creepy.

It was worth it to see the exact moment Balthazar realized. "Oh, _no_."

"Yep," Gabriel beamed.

"No. You are not going on a date with some middle aged man who wears suits and cares about following laws."

Gabriel shoved half his pancake into his mouth at once, chewed, and swallowed. "He doesn't follow the laws, he makes them."

Balthazar groaned. "What the fuck did I start?"

\--

Sam rang the doorbell at precisely two minutes to seven the following Wednesday. Gabriel had been ready since four, anticipating that Sam was a man who liked to be early, and also one who didn’t like to be spotted wandering around a shitty apartment building, but it turned out he needn’t have worried. Sam was absolutely dressed the part, dressed in a navy blue hoodie proclaiming ‘Trust Me, I’m A Jedi’ with the hood pulled over his head, and walking hunched over with his knees bent so that nobody could see his face. He hurried inside when Gabriel opened the door, pushing past him and ducking inside.

“Good evening to you too, Mr President,” Gabriel smirked, feeling a definite sense of role reversal. He was dressed up in a black tuxedo with a purple bow tie, and had double-conditioned his hair, so that it fell in soft fluffy golden waves around his face.

He needn’t have worried, though. As soon as he was inside, Sam stripped off his hoodie to reveal his own suit beneath it, and he smiled across at Gabriel. “Good evening,” he replied, before leaning in for a kiss.

Gabriel held up a hand to stop him. “Oh no you don’t. I don’t kiss until the end of the date.”

“But last time I was here-” Sam started to protest.

“Last time wasn’t a date. This time is. In actual fact it’s lots of dates, because I figured that we’re not going to get many chances to do stuff like this, so I combined our first ten dates all into one. Don’t you ever say I’m not resourceful. And if you’re really good and if you treat me like a gentleman on all of the dates, then maybe I’ll kiss you goodnight. Maybe.”

Sam looked at him like he was crazy, and Gabriel very carefully took Sam’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it ever so gently. “There.”

Sam frowned, adorably confused. “What do you mean, the first ten dates all at once?”

As if on cue, the coffee pot beeped from the kitchen.

“You’ll see. Come with me.”

Gabriel took Sam’s hand - the same one he’d just kissed - and led him into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair at the counter for Sam to sit down in, and poured two small cups of coffee, placing them on a tray with cream and sugar and setting them down at the counter before sitting in the chair next to Sam.

“In my experience, the first date with someone is often a coffee date. Because coffee shops are pretty casual, they’re a public place in case anything goes wrong, and it’s a good opportunity to get to know each other.”

Sam's smile was completely unreadable. Sam had a lot of different smiles, Gabriel had noticed, and most of them were only ever directed at him. "It's been years since I've been on a coffee date. Mostly people bring me coffee now. I wouldn't know how to even order coffee at one of these fancy new places."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, dumping four sugars into his coffee. "You're not getting the hang of this, are you? I made these dates for you. I figured out what a normal couple might do for each of their first ten dates. And then, because we're not a normal couple, I changed them all so that we can fit them into one night, and so that we can do them without leaving this apartment. Because I want to give you all these experiences that regular people get to have. And this was the only way that I could find to do that."

Sam stared at him, speechless.

"I hope you're a bit more eloquent when it comes to press conferences, babe. Now drink your coffee before it gets cold. It's not gonna be a good first date if I have to heat it up again in the microwave."

\--

When they were finished with their coffee, Gabriel led Sam through into the living room. He only really had three rooms in his house that were any good for dates, so there was going to be a lot of doubling up, but he thought he'd figured it out pretty well. “A lot of second dates I’ve had are going out for drinks. Cause it’s a chance to get dressed up and show off a bit, but also second dates are usually really awkward so alcohol tends to be a really good idea.”

"Are you going to get me drunk so that I'll tell you state secrets?"

Gabriel leaned in and very deliberately dropped a kiss onto Sam's forehead. "Just one drink. So unless you're the world's biggest lightweight, I don't think you'll be in danger of revealing too many state secrets."

He felt Sam's eyes on him as he carefully poured two apple martinis from a cocktail shaker he'd mixed earlier, and then clinked his glass against Sam's in a toast. "To second dates," he grinned, giving Sam an exaggerated wink.

"To second dates."

\--

“Third date is when you’re starting to get more comfortable with each other, and you’re okay with spending a bit more time together, so that’s when you might go out to dinner. And then you’re supposed to fight over who pays the check, but I’ll spare you that argument, cause I already cooked.”

"You cook?"

Gabriel nodded, and Sam looked surprised. "Well, I mostly bake, cause some days I don't want to eat real food and so I just eat nothing but red velvet cake. But I thought you might want something with more vegetables than that, so... I made you chicken pot pie."

He slipped on an oven mitt and pulled two plates out of the oven, where he'd been keeping them warm. Each had a miniature pie in a small dish, along with some cheesy mashed potatoes and vegetables, and Gabriel wasn't one to brag, but he was pretty proud of how it had all turned out. He finished up by placing a small candle on the kitchen table and blowing Sam a kiss.

\--

“If you make it to the fourth date you should be comfortable with each other. So you might go to one person’s house, and you’ll just sit on the couch and watch movies and stuff. We don’t really have time for a whole movie, but you mentioned once that you love Parks & Rec, so how about an episode of that?”

Sam flopped on the couch, full from dinner, actually relaxing for the first time since he'd arrived there this evening, now that he'd had food and drink and that the conversation was flowing well. "I, I didn't expect you to remember that. Yeah. Just so long as it's not the one where Lil Sebastian dies."

"You've been on three dates with me and you really think I'd be that cruel?" Gabriel gasped, loading up Netflix and choosing a much nicer episode. Sam had sat down a respectable two feet away from him, but as soon as the show started, Gabriel wriggled along the couch and pillowed his head on Sam's shoulder, cuddling up to him, the first time in four dates that they'd shared more than the briefest touch.

\--

“Fifth date is when you can start to do more interesting stuff, cause you already know each other pretty well so you don’t need to leave all that space for talking. I really like going to concerts with people, so I thought we could give that a try.”

Sam snorted. "What, did you hire a band to play for me or something?"

"I don't appreciate your mocking." Gabriel stuck his nose in the air and stalked over to the CD player. "Have you not seen by now that I know exactly what I'm doing? Look around you! I'm good at romance." At that exact moment, he hit play on the stereo and on his own light display. Pearl Jam boomed out around the room as different colored lasers bounced across the walls, and Gabriel took Sam's hand and tugged him to his feet. 

"Do I have to headbang?" Sam yelled over the music, and Gabriel nodded vigorously.

\--

“Sixth date, you shouldn’t be afraid of making a fool out of yourself around the other person. So that’s when you might do something like ice skating, which has the added bonus of catching the other person if they fall. Obviously we can’t ice skate in my living room, but hey, that’s what the Wii’s for.”

"Oh, God," Sam groaned, still panting from dancing too hard to the music. "I'm too old for this shit, I'm not twenty-six anymore, can I at least sit down for this?"

"Nope!" Gabriel cackled, tossing him a Wii remote. "You've had, like, a week to recover since our fifth date, I'm sure you'll be fine. Come on. I'll teach you how to do all the tricks."

Sam scowled. "Are we really only halfway through?" But he ducked down to kiss Gabriel on the cheek, and stood close enough to him during the skating that their hands brushed occasionally.

\--

“If you get to a seventh date, then it’s probably about time for something cutesy and romantic, like a moonlit picnic with homemade cupcakes and champagne where you both lie together under the stars. There’s no real stars in the city, but… I did what I could.” Gabriel switched out the light, leaving the room lit only by a couple of soft lamps off to the side, and both of them could easily see the array of glow stars that Gabriel had stuck to the ceiling just for this purpose.

Sam gasped, and he reached out for Gabriel's hand, squeezing it tight. 

"Now you see why I didn't turn off the lights during the concert," Gabriel smirked. And, if you want an extra surprise... I'm going to feed you cheese and crackers. Because I promised I would. And I think you need more food with minimum effort right now."

"Is the seventh date also when I tell you you're perfect?"

\--

“In comparison, eighth date is really fucking boring. Cause you’ve got to know you’re going to like each other even when things aren’t all wild and romantic. Maybe you go grocery shopping or some shit. I get my groceries delivered cause I’m a lazy asshole, so here, you’re helping me.”

Sam snorted. "I'm not going to be much help. You think I buy my own groceries? They kind of just show up."

Gabriel shrugged. "Then this'll be a new experience. Alright, toilet paper. Do we prefer Cottonelle or Angel Soft?"

"Angel Soft. Because you are an angel. And your hair is soft." Sam quickly turned to Gabriel for validation. "Was that good? Was that smooth enough?"

"You literally just compared me to toilet paper," Gabriel snorted, placing a hand on Sam's knee. "But that said? Yeah. It was pretty damn smooth."

\--

“There’s not really any rules for a ninth date. If things are still going well, you should know what each other likes by this point. I know you like board games, and I found an old Scrabble set at a thrift store, so I’m setting the kitchen timer, and we’re gonna play speed Scrabble.”

He offered the bag of wooden tiles to Sam. "You're the guest, so you get first pick of the letters. Only don't take any of the blanks because I'm actually really shit at Scrabble so the only way I can get any points is if I end up with the blanks."

Sam shook his head. "At least you didn't take the blanks out of the bag before we started. I'm dating someone who plays by the rules, that's good to know."

Gabriel leaned in very close to whisper in Sam's ear, and also take a surreptitious peek at the tiles on his tray. "Or at least someone who's really good at pretending they play by the rules."

He pulled back and smirked, slipping his hand into the bag and shaking his sleeve so that two blank tiles dropped into his palm. He'd been practicing.

\--

“And the tenth date. That should be pretty special. Tenth date should be when you go away together for the first time. Spend a night in a hotel, exploring some other city or something. I don’t have a car I can whisk you away in or anything… but I did my best with what I had. Come with me.”

Sam shivered, and even though the whole night had been surreal, he got the impression that this final date, in particular, was special. He'd just won their game of speed Scrabble despite Gabriel's disgusting cheating, but now the game had completely faded from either of their minds, because everything had been leading up to this tenth date.

Sam took Gabriel’s hand and followed him to the bedroom, the door of which had remained mysteriously closed all night.

Gabriel opened the door, and Sam stared. The last time he'd visited the room it had been fairly plain. There had been clothes scattered over the floor, a regular plain blind at the window, no decorations beyond a couple of vintage Star Wars posters, and a pink comforter patterned with daisies that Sam had incorrectly assumed was a hand me down from Gabriel's sister or something. Now, however, the place had been completely transformed. There were light, airy chiffon curtains at the window, and still more pastel colored hangings draped around the walls. Several framed art prints were mounted on the walls, and some new shelves had been put up, the delicate white kind with interesting carvings in them. The new comforter was black and white striped, and the bed was neatly made. A peach colored lampshade meant that the lightbulb wasn't harsh, but cast a soft, warm glow over the room, and to top it all off, a scene of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night was on display in the window, so realistic that it didn't take much suspension of disbelief for Sam to imagine that he wasn't on the outskirts of Washington DC but was instead in a room in a cozy bed and breakfast right in the middle of Paris.

“Welcome to Paris. I’ve never been, so I can’t promise I got it completely right, but… I wanted to take you somewhere really special.”

Sam stared at him. “How long did this take?”

Gabriel blushed and hid his face. “I might have called in sick so that I could work on it… and got up at four in the morning…”

Sam shook his head, and he almost dove in for a kiss, but then he remembered that Gabriel was calling the shots here, not him. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

“Shut up.” Gabriel shook his head, grinning and tugging on Sam’s tie with one hand. “If I could have figured it out, I’d have taken you on a hundred dates tonight.”

He pulled, hard, and the two of them fell into each other, their lips crashing together in a kiss they’d waited ten dates for.

\--

The kiss lasted a long time, long enough to be an entire date in itself. But when they did finally pull apart, both of them were tired from a long night of going on dates, and Gabriel had bought pajamas especially for the occasion - he knew none of his would fit Sam, but he'd found an impossibly soft pair of light blue pajama pants and a white cotton T-shirt in Sam's size. He gave them to Sam and directed him to the bathroom, apologizing for not decorating that too.

"You've done more than enough already, I wouldn't dream of asking for anything else from you." Sam hovered in the doorway, staring at Gabriel for a little longer, unable to get enough of him. It went against everything Gabriel knew to be the sensible one, but in the end he scooped up his own pajamas and gave Sam a stern look.

"Go get changed, there's a spare toothbrush in there too. We both need sleep and you have to be at work early in the morning."

"We're going to sleep right away?" Sam almost looked like he was pouting, and Gabriel thought he might quite literally faint with how cute Sam was. "But it's been ten dates! Aren't we at that point yet where we can... you know..." Sam gestured between them.

Gabriel sauntered slowly over to Sam, and if it had been anyone else, anyone even the tiniest bit less important to him, Gabriel would have agreed. But this was Sam, and it was really important to Gabriel that he took things slow and did this right.

He got on tiptoes and gave Sam a quick kiss on the lips. "I think you've had more than enough excitement for one night." Then he whispered in his ear, "But if you wake up early enough in the morning? Maybe I could reconsider."


	5. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel gets good news, then bad news, then really fucking terrible news.

"So, we should probably talk."

Gabriel blinked, his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. He picked up his phone and checked the time. "Sam, when I said we should wake up early, I didn't mean nineteen minutes past four."

Sam shook his head, cuddling closer to Gabriel. "I didn't wake you up for... that. I can't sleep. I keep thinking that we've been on ten dates now - eleven if you count what happened between us the other week - and we still haven't talked about what we're actually doing here."

Gabriel's head was still fuzzy with sleep, so he decided that the best response was to kiss Sam on the cheek.

"That's not an answer," Sam pointed out.

"Mmm, yes it is. I've taken you on eleven dates and now you're sleeping in my bed and you've woken me up at nineteen minutes past four and I haven't literally stabbed you. I think that makes it pretty clear that I like you a lot."

"But what does 'I like you a lot' mean?" Sam pressed, then buried his face in Gabriel's shoulder, mumbling, "Sorry if I sound like a high schooler. That is where most of my dating experience comes from, after all."

Gabriel ran his fingers through Sam's hair, tugging him up to look him in the eye. They could only half-see each other through the moonlight filtering through the thin chiffon curtains, but maybe that was for the best. "In high school terms? Means I want to pass you love notes in class and wear your varsity sports jacket even though it's four sizes too big and put a picture of you up in my locker and doodle your name on my math notes. You got me?"

"So, like... a crush?" Sam frowned, adorably confused.

Gabriel sighed, and he was just exhausted enough and just impatient enough to go back to sleep that he replied, "No, Sam. Like a boyfriend."

Sam froze. "Oh. Right."

"That's not exactly the response I was expecting-"

It was Sam's turn to decide that a kiss was an acceptable answer to a question.

"It's been a really long time since I was anyone's boyfriend," Sam whispered as they pulled apart, averting his eyes. "But I really like the idea of being yours. Even if I won't be able to tell anyone about it, I'll be able to think about it, and, wow. I can't believe you want to be my boyfriend."

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, I want to be your boyfriend, and sometime when I'm more awake I'll give you a long list of reasons why I want to be your boyfriend, but now that we've sorted all this out I think I'm gonna get some more rest, okay?"

Sam nodded. "You know, despite what I might look like, I never actually played varsity sports in high school," he mumbled as he cuddled close to Gabriel again, closing his eyes.

"Shut up and go to sleep. I'm still planning on getting up early and showing you exactly what I like to do on the twelfth date."

\--

Gabriel really hoped that nobody noticed the secret little smile he had on his face whenever someone mentioned President Winchester. Sure, he was dedicated to his job, but even the most devoted of employees didn't usually get faraway, sappy looks in their eyes and daydreams about beach weddings when their boss' name was mentioned. And that would definitely take some explaining to any casual observer. The kind of explaining that Gabriel couldn't really offer, because of how important it was that nobody else find out what was happening between him and Sam.

Luckily, Gabriel had a secret weapon. He'd memorized every floor plan of the White House and was so knowledgeable by now about everything that went on there, that it wasn't difficult at all for him to give Sam directions through a few back routes where he could sneak out at night without being discovered by too many people. Gabriel was getting oddly used to being woken up at two in the morning by a man in a fake beard knocking on his door, and he didn't mind in the slightest.

Because, sure, their chances of taking a romantic stroll through the city any time soon were near enough zero. That didn't mean they didn't spend as much time as possible trying to find creative ways around the problem. They could experience the whole world from the safety of Gabriel's apartment, and nobody ever had to know they were there (except for Balthazar, who was proving himself very good at taking bribes.) And even when they were at work, Gabriel knew that if he ever got called away for a private meeting, it was a cleverly disguised lunch date. Gabriel thought he might be the first person in history to experience a build your own taco station in the middle of the Oval Office, and he would have been upset that he didn't get to tell anyone about it, but he got to sit on Sam's lap while he ate and that pretty much made up for anything.

Everything was going perfectly. Maybe even too perfectly. Until one day, Gabriel was lying on the couch in the staff room drinking milk through a straw and texting Sam about Sam's brother's upcoming visit, when Daniel appeared in the doorway.

"Gabriel? Jessica wants to see you in her office. Right away. She says it's urgent."

The curly straw fell out of Gabriel's mouth and splashed into his drink. Daniel looked deadly serious. To be honest, Daniel always looked deadly serious, but that didn't stop Gabriel from assuming the worst. Aside from the team's morning meetings, Gabriel couldn't remember ever being called in to speak to Jessica. Had she somehow found out that there was something weird going on between him and Sam? He supposed it wouldn't take much - just one person glancing over his shoulder at the wrong time when he happened to be texting, starting to put the pieces together...

He thought back to his Fundamentals of Acting class with Professor Zachariah. He forced a smile onto his face and stood up from the couch, shaking his hair out as though he didn't have a care in the world. "Thanks, Daniel," he said, giving Daniel a quick pat on the shoulder as he passed, and then he internally screamed at himself on the walk all the way down to Jessica's office.

He knocked on the door, and waited to be invited in. He hovered in the doorway, not sure if it was a good idea to take a seat. If he stayed standing, it would be easier to run away at a moment's notice.

But when Jess turned around, she was smiling. "Hi, Gabriel! Thanks for coming in at such short notice!"

"Is everything okay?"

"Better than okay. I've been talking with some of the other staff, and we've both seen how much incredible feedback you've been given on your tours, especially the ones you do with school groups..."

\--

 _SAM. SAM. SAM. SAM. SAM._ Gabriel texted as fast as he could.

It was only a minute or two before he got a response. _GABE. GABE. GABE. WHAT IS IT?_

_I HAVE NEWS AND I WANNA TELL YOU IT CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU GET A MINUTE._

Gabriel's phone rang about five seconds later.

"Hey!" he burst out, still panting from the adrenaline. "That was fast!"

"You had news and I wanted to hear it. So come on, don't keep me in suspense, tell me!"

"Alright." Gabriel sat crosslegged on the floor, unable to stop himself from bouncing where he sat. "Jessica wants to give me a promotion! She wants to put me in charge of all the tours for kids and make it, like, not a totally separate department but not totally the same either, and, well, I didn't really get what she was talking about but she wants me to organize all the school visits and everything and I know this is probably cause of you and that you must have pulled some strings or at least suggested it or something but that's fine, I don't care cause I'm really excited right now and shit, no, wait, I can't actually do this, nope, I'm underqualified for the job I have now and so this was actually a really bad idea and I know you were trying to be nice and do something for me but someone's gonna see that I actually shouldn't have any responsibility ever because this one time I forgot to put in a new order of strawberry sauce for ice cream so I just used raspberry for like three weeks and hoped none of the customers noticed and-"

"Gabriel, breathe." Sam's voice cut into his ramblings, and Gabriel forced himself to stop talking, sucking in air that he'd totally forgotten was important while he'd been yelling.

"I didn't do anything," Sam told him. "I'm not saying I wouldn't have liked to, because if I could I'd get you up here as my personal assistant so that I'd have an excuse to keep you in my office all day, every day. But it wouldn't be expected of me to know anything about the tour guides or what they do, so I was never going to go to your boss and tell her to give you a promotion. You earned that job."

Gabriel frowned. "But that doesn't make sense. I mean, I'm just-"

"Really good and passionate about what you do?" Sam smirked.

"No! What about the strawberry sauce? What if I do that with a bunch of kids and forget to order them lunch or something?"

"I think you care about the kids more than you cared about strawberry sauce," Sam pointed out, probably incorrectly.

"I don't think you understand my true passion for strawberry sauce."

Sam chuckled. "Seriously, Gabriel, you deserve--"

There was a long beep, and the line went dead.

"Sam?" Gabriel asked, knowing it was pointless.

He hung up and dialled back. There was no response.

Maybe Sam's phone had gone dead. Maybe he'd show up again in five minutes or so, apologizing. But that didn't seem very likely, since Sam wasn't the kind of guy who forgot to charge his phone. He could have been called away for some kind of meeting, or something, but even then he'd usually shoot Gabriel a quick text on his way. Here there was nothing.

He sat and waited for a good ten minutes. Still nothing.

He made it to fifteen minutes before he sent his own text, because he didn't want to seem clingy. Everything alright? Thinking of you <3 he sent, and then shoved his phone into his pocket, although it didn't stop him from digging it out every five seconds or so to check for a response.

There was nothing, and after another half hour he had to take an afternoon group out on a tour, so even though it was the absolute last thing he felt like doing, he put on his suit jacket and took himself to the visitor's entrance, doing his very best to put Sam's sudden disappearance out of his head. He was sure there was a completely rational explanation, but... something about this didn't feel right, and he couldn't get rid of the worry.

\--

Gabriel spent two and a half hours giving his tour, and by the time he was done, there were Rumors with a capital R. As it always did when anything interesting happened, word had spread around the White House that the President had been called away to England urgently, that he was, right now, on a plane heading all the way across the Atlantic at top speed, sent there for some official business that nobody seemed quite sure of, though everyone had their theories.

Gabriel ducked his head out of the window and stared up at the sky. He could see lots of planes dancing overhead, tracing their way through the sky, but he didn't think any of them were Sam's plane. Sam was probably already way too far away, not even sparing a thought for Gabriel, too concerned with whatever was going on across the pond. Gabriel didn't blame him, and he trusted Sam enough to know that he wouldn't disappear in the middle of the conversation via choice - but Gabriel felt a little sad about it all the same.

"You can head home early if you'd like," Jessica offered when he showed up to drop off his name badge. "You've earned a break. I'm still in negotiations about your new salary and what exactly your job's going to involve, but I'll be in touch with you just as soon as I've figured all of that out."

Gabriel didn't particularly want to head home. What would he do at home? He mostly focused on work and Sam these days, and Sam wasn't around, and there wasn't a whole lot he could do from home anymore. "Nah, it's alright. I don't need to go yet. There anything else I can do around here?"

Jess frowned at him. "Yeah, you can call one of your friends and ask them to go out tonight. You work too hard. You probably need it."

Gabriel blinked. That was the first time in his entire life that anyone had accused him of working too hard. "I don't-"

Jess was already halfway down the corridor, her long blonde ponytail swishing behind her as she walked.

Gabriel groaned, shrugging his rucksack over his shoulders. It looked like he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

He went home, and found Balthazar already waiting in the hallway holding two coats. He held one out to Gabriel as soon as the key clicked in the lock.

"What's this?" Gabriel frowned.

"Saw on the TV that your boyfriend's gone to England. So I'm finally going to get you out drinking with me again. We haven't had a crazy night in months."

Gabriel glanced toward his bedroom door, and Balthazar moved to block him. "Nope. And don't try the 'change of clothes' excuse either. You're old and boring now and I know that if you get in there you'll just lie down on the bed and start listening to some shitty music and refuse to leave. You're coming with me no matter how much you look like some shitty corporate lawyer."

All of a sudden, Gabriel didn't have the energy to argue. He was tired from being woken up in the middle of the night by a man who expected him to be there at a moment's notice, and he desperately needed to catch up on some sleep, and he felt like the best way for him to do that would be to go along with what Balthazar wanted and to just sneak out as early as he possibly could, the second Balthazar had his back turned and his arm wrapped around someone young and hot in a bar. So he shrugged the coat over his shoulders and followed Balthazar down the street, doing his best not to yawn.

It took longer than he expected. Balthazar insisted on doing a round of shots to 'celebrate Gabriel's first night out'. Gabriel had barely had more than a small glass of wine with Sam in months, and his stomach fought against the sudden hit of alcohol, and it took him a few minutes of standing with his head pressed against the bar before he could be sure he could stand up straight without throwing up.

Balthazar laughed. "Fucking lightweight."

"Just wasn't feeling great already," Gabriel only half lied.

Balthazar shrugged and immediately ordered another round of drinks. Thankfully, this time he went for mixed drinks instead, and he didn't complain too much when Gabriel drank slowly, because it lowered the bar tab. But he still spent an annoyingly long time trying to make sure Gabriel got out there and danced, despite Gabriel's obvious reluctance.

"Bal, it's almost midnight, you know that once it hits twelve you have basically no chance of getting laid because nobody starts talking to a stranger after midnight," Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"How would you know?" Balthazar yelled back over the music. "You've been out of the game for so long, maybe the rules have changed."

Gabriel scowled, glancing around the club. His eyes fell on a man sitting up at the bar with a questionable mullet, but who was sitting alone and looked to be scanning the room too. He made eye contact and jerked his head towards Balthazar. The mullet guy quirked one corner of his mouth in a half smile and nodded appreciatively.

Gabriel grabbed Balthazar's hand and tugged him over. He was going to be in bed by one o'clock if it killed him.

"Hi there, this is Balthazar, yes it's a weird name but I promise you he's a totally normal guy, I'm gonna buy both of you a drink and then fuck off so you can get to know each other, sound good?"

A few minutes later, the two of them were each holding a Sex on the Beach (because Gabriel prided himself on being the most unsubtle man ever in this situation) and Gabriel was off searching for some kind of exit before Balthazar could think to ask him where the fuck he was going.

He slipped out of the fire escape door, his fingers crossed that he wasn't going to set off any alarms. He didn't. It was cold out on the metal steps, and Gabriel didn't like heights, so he tried his best not to look down as he made his way down the flimsy stairs, and then-

His phone beeped with an incoming call.

He'd have ignored a text. A text could have been from anyone. But there was only one person who ever called him, and that person was the same man who Gabriel hadn't been able to get out of his head all night, and as much as Gabriel didn't want to be up here for a second longer than necessary, he also couldn't risk getting all the way downstairs and missing out on a few precious minutes of Sam's company.

"Hello?" he said into the phone, his hand shaking from a mixture of the cold and his fear that he was about to drop his phone four stories down onto the concrete. He sat down, hunching on the step and wrapping his coat tighter around him.

"Gabriel! It's so good to hear your voice," Sam breathed. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I'm so, so sorry. The Vice President barged into my office and he said there was a plane in five minutes, I didn't even have time to pack anything, so now I'm five thousand miles away and I don't even have anything to remind me of you, I'm exhausted but there's a car coming for me in twenty minutes to take me to visit the Prime Minister, and I just wish you were here with me to make this whole situation feel a tiny bit more bearable."

Gabriel made a tiny, desperate noise, as though his heart couldn't keep it inside any longer. Any kind of resentment he'd been feeling against Sam disappeared immediately, and all he wanted was to be there for him, making him feel better after whatever had happened to him today. Because he knew this was what he'd signed up for. When he'd decided to start dating Sam, he'd known that it would mean odd hours and strange interruptions and never being able to tell anyone about it, and he'd taken that deal, and now the consequences were really hitting for the first time, and he was going to deal with it rather than acting like a whiny kid.

"I wish I was there too," he whispered, putting as much emotion into it as possible. "I've been worried about you. I heard about England, news spread pretty fast, but I've just been hoping you're okay, and I'm not mad, I just care about you."

"Yeah, I care about you too, and you deserve better than this," Sam sighed.

"Don't say that," Gabriel replied, automatically. "You've got enough to think about without worrying about me. I'll be here when you get back, alright? And on the phone whenever you want me, even if it's, like, five in the morning, I don't care. Just focus on your meeting with the Prime Minister. I know you're probably not allowed to talk about it, but... you know what you're doing there?"

Sam groaned. "Not a fucking clue. I'll be making it up as I go."

Gabriel immediately found himself wishing he'd paid a lot more attention to the state of British politics recently. He knew he probably wouldn't have anything useful to say, but still. He didn't want Sam to have to go through this alone. "You can do this. You're the best President America's ever had, and because I know the exact look you're giving your phone right now, I'm definitely not the only person who says that. Millions of people say it. So whatever's going on, you're going to handle it great. And then you can sleep and then call me when you wake up, alright?"

Sam groaned again. "Yeah. Simple. I'll just put a whole country back together before I sleep."

"Yeah, you will. Cause you're Sam Winchester, and you're a badass superhero who can do anything. But instead of Superman, you're, I don't know, Politics-Man."

Sam snorted, and Gabriel felt proud of himself for at least getting some kind of laugh out of Sam.

There was a long pause before Sam finally said, "My car's here. I have to go."

"I love you," Gabriel blurted, without even thinking about it. Looking back on it, it had been a stupid thing to say, because Sam had already had to deal with way too many upheavals today without Gabriel just-

"I love you, too," Sam replied, sounding surprised at himself, and then the line went dead. Despite the cold and the terrifying distance from the ground, Gabriel stayed sitting on the fire escape for a lot longer after that, gazing out over the city until he saw the first glimpses of the sun rising in the distance.

\--

"So, I might actually be here for a while."

Gabriel had almost been expecting the announcement, or at least, it didn't surprise him to hear it. "Meeting didn't go well?"

"Don't think it could have gone well. This isn't something I can fix in one meeting. I need time to help sort everything out, and I know it's not ideal for me to be here for a long time, but in the long run I think things will be easier for everyone if I'm here for a few weeks. Is that okay with you?"

"If I say it's not, will you come home?" Gabriel asked, then immediately regretted it. "No, I take that back. You have to stay, stay for as long as you need, and I'll be here whenever you need a distraction, alright?"

Sam sighed, and the air was heavy between them. "If I could, I'd fly you out here to stay with me.

"I know you would, Sam. I know."

There was another pause. "You wanna talk about something else for a while?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Yeah, I just want to have normal conversations with you. And it'll be like nothing's changed, just like you're right next to me. Alright?"

"Exactly." Sam sounded like he was trying his best to convince himself. He blew a kiss down the phone and it connected with thin air. "So... how about that Finding Nemo sequel?"

\--

Gabriel wasn't pining. He definitely wasn't. But this was the first time that Sam had been away for a long time since the two of them had got together, so he supposed he was allowed to eat a lot of ice cream and mope around the house making vague complaining noises until Balthazar took pity on him and asked him what was wrong, at which point Gabriel would burst out with a dramatic, "I miss Saaaaaam!" He told himself that next time Sam went away, he'd be far more mature and responsible about it, and use the extra free time to catch up on sleep or see his other friends, so this time, he was going to... alright, he was going to pine.

And then, one day, Sam came back.

It was as unexpected as his leaving. They'd talked the previous night just as it always did - Sam had called, completely ignoring the fact that international calling charges were ridiculously expensive, because he was the President and he could afford a phone bill, and Gabriel had asked him how work was going. Sam had avoided the question and asked Gabriel about what he was up to, and the two of them had got into a heated debate about the merits of strawberry cheesecake versus cookie dough ice cream, and everything had been just like it always was. Gabriel hadn't had any kind of a good morning text from Sam, but he'd tried his best not to think too much of it, and he was just heading to bed for the night when there was a knock on the door.

"Who the fuck is here at this time of night?" Gabriel mumbled to himself, well aware that he sounded like a cranky old man.

He opened the door, and for a moment he didn't believe his eyes. Sam Winchester was standing in the corridor, barely even disguised, dark circles underneath his eyes and more stubble than Gabriel had ever seen on him before. He barely even found the energy to smile when his eyes fell on Gabriel, wrapped in lavender colored fleece pajamas, his hair pulled into a ponytail.

"Sam?" Gabriel gasped, his brain running through disbelief to surprise to absolute delight in the space of half a second, and he jumped onto him, wrapping his legs around Sam's waist and burying his face in his shoulder, squeezing him as tight as he could. "Sam, Sam, Sam!"

"Gabriel," Sam choked, and when Gabriel finally climbed down and looked Sam in the eye again, he saw that there were tears streaming down Sam's face.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Sam nodded, then shook his head, then shrugged. "Just been a really stressful few weeks. I wanted to sleep and I wanted to be next to you and you can tell me to get out if you want, but..." He shrugged again.

Gabriel took his hand and squeezed it so hard it was probably painful. "No, of course you can stay. Come on, I've still got your pajamas, we can go straight to sleep."

\--

Gabriel woke up to the sound of his alarm yelling at him and telling him to go the fuck to work. He switched it off as quickly as possible, hoping that Sam might be able to sleep a little longer - but when he rolled over to check on his snoozing boyfriend, he found the other half of the bed empty.

He patted the sheet. It was still warm. Sam couldn't have been gone long. Gabriel frowned - usually, even if Sam had to duck out in the middle of the night, he'd at least wake Gabriel up to give him a kiss and tell him he was going, but today there was nothing. Not even a text.

Gabriel showered and put on his suit, then texted Sam while riding the subway. _Hey babe. The sheets were still warm when I woke up, so I know I didn't dream you being here last night. Call me when you can, okay? Thinking of you._

He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to ignore the rush of loneliness he felt. He'd only just got Sam back and now he was gone again.

Sam didn't call him. Gabriel ran a morning tour and an afternoon tour and had a meeting with Jess, finalizing some details for the new position, and he was just packing up his things to go home when a text came in.

_Meet me in the Oval Office. Soon as you can._

Not even a heart at the end of it.

Something was wrong, something was really, really wrong, and Gabriel should have seen it last night, but he'd put it all down to Sam being tired. He grabbed his backpack and took off at a run, ignoring all the looks he was getting from other, older staff members who clearly thought he was behaving totally inappropriately. He sprinted faster so that none of them would have time to stop him, and he didn't slow down until he reached Sam's door, hammering on it as hard as he could.

Sam opened it, and he'd never looked like he was dreading a conversation more, not even when his father called.

He took a deep breath. "Gabriel. Don't say anything. I have to say this and it's not gonna be easy, and it'll be even faster if you interrupt me, in fact... I don't think I can even look at you for this. I'm a coward. I'm sorry."

For some fucking stupid reason, Gabriel did as he was told.

Sam turned away and started pacing the room. Gabriel shut the door behind him, but other than that, he didn't move.

"Alright, here's the thing. I missed you when I was gone, I missed you more than I ever thought it was possible to miss anyone. And the way I feel about you? I never thought I'd feel that way, it's the kind of crazy... lovestruck... obsession that only happens to other people, not me. But I almost got caught on the phone with you so many times while I was there. And I realized... it's only a matter of time before people start asking questions. There will be rumors and gossip and it could ruin my reputation. And yes, in an ideal world I'd answer those questions truthfully, I'd tell everyone about you. But getting elected wasn't easy. Maybe you think that this kind of stuff is simple for me, but it took years of hard work and of presenting a specific image to get to this point, I had to appeal to everyone, I had to make as many people as possible see me as the best candidate, because that was the only way I could make a difference to this country. And if everyone finds out that I have... some boy toy from the bad areas of town? Then my chances of getting re-elected are pretty much zero. So it's not you, and it's not me, but it is everyone else in this entire country who has ideas about the kind of person I should be with. And I wish they didn't. I wish it more than anything, Gabriel, I wish we could be together and that it could be simple. But it can't. I have to put my career first, and I am so, so sorry about that."

At the beginning of Sam's speech, Gabriel expected that he'd be sobbing by the end. He didn't. He stayed completely still and calm, fury rising up inside him, overtaking him more and more as Sam kept talking, going on and on and on for longer than Gabriel could take.

"I could punch you right now, you know," he said quietly, with a cold edge to his voice and not a waver at all.

"What?" Sam spun round and met Gabriel's eyes for the first time

It was self preservation, it was the only thing Gabriel could do. It was either attack or let himself get attacked and break down in the middle of the presidential suite. Gabriel had no desire to punch Sam whatsoever. It wouldn't help anything, it would only make things more difficult for Sam when it blossomed into a bruise. But it was easier to say he wanted to, because he wanted Sam to see that Gabriel was strong and didn't need him. He didn't want Sam's last memory of him to be Gabriel breaking down in tears.

"I could punch you. For leading me on. For treating me like I'm inferior. For picking me up when I'm fun for you and for casting me aside when I'm no longer useful. You know what? I voted for you, I did! Bal was trying to convince me to vote independent, this really radical left wing guy, and I said I was gonna do it, but then I changed my mind at the last minute. I voted for you. Because not only did I think you had some good policies, but I also thought you seemed like a really good person! Well, that's a nice act you got going there, Sam. Good job convincing everyone of that, seriously, I did half a theater degree, and that might be nothing to you but it's enough for me to know it's not easy. But honestly, I'd never have voted for you if I'd known what a fucking useless classist opportunistic piece of scum you were."

Sam stared at him, his mouth falling open, looking genuinely hurt by Gabriel's words. It should have made Gabriel feel better, because he'd got what he wanted, but he felt worse. "You really think all those things?"

Of course he didn't. He didn't think any of those things, and he loved Sam for exactly who he was, flaws and everything.

"Yeah, I do now! What, it's okay for you to say but not for me? Is that 'no way to talk to the President'? Guess what, Sam, I don't give a shit what you think! You know, I only took this job in the first place because Balthazar made a bet with me that I couldn't get the White House to take me on. Probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to you that this was never my big life goal, that I'm pretty much a fraud. So I guess you weren't the only one who had everyone fooled. Guess we were both as bad as each other. But anyway, good luck with America. I'm sure that if everyone else in this fucking country loves you it won't matter to anyone that I hate you."

Before Sam could respond to that, Gabriel ran out of the room, fuming, every footfall heavy from where he was trying to take out every part of his range on the ground. He made his way to the brand new office that he'd only just moved into, glanced around the still mostly empty wooden paneled room, grabbed a few random pieces of stationery but didn't see anything really worth keeping. He supposed that he could take some official White House portraits and sell them on eBay for a profit, but then again, that would just prove Sam right about him.

So he didn't. He just ran out of the room and then out of the building, tearing across the gardens, scared almost that he was going to fall flat on his face because his legs and feet were moving so fast that he was sure he body wouldn't be able to keep up. His breath tore in his throat, scraping and ripping against him until he was in physical pain all over his body. His vision blurred and he kept running until he wasn't entirely sure where he was or what direction he'd even gone in, and then he sank down onto some street corner somewhere and buried his head in his hands and tried as hard as he could to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVE SOME PAIN, AND BECAUSE I'M AN EVIL DICK, I'LL UPLOAD THE LAST CHAPTER (AND THE MINI EPILOGUE AT THE SAME TIME) WHEN I GET BACK FROM MINNCON. ;D


	6. Ours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAYLOR SWIFT

"You don't get your thousand dollars if you don't go into work today."

"That's not funny, Balthazar," Gabriel yelled through his bedroom door, but Balthazar must have misheard it as 'Come in', because he barged through and laid down on Gabriel's bed.

"It's a little bit funny," Balthazar smirked. "But seriously. Look at it this way. You stay there, you've got job security for life. You're never gonna get fired, because you have blackmail material on the President. You just got your promotion, and you'll keep getting better and better jobs and Sam'll just be looking on seeing what a good thing he gave up feeling disgustingly jealous. It'll be great. What else are you gonna do, go back to working at the ice cream parlor?"

Gabriel shrugged. He hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. He just knew that he didn't want to be around Sam. "I mean, something like that. Not like I'm good for much else."

"Bullshit. You dated the President."

"Don't fucking remind me."

Balthazar gave him an exaggerated sigh. "Look, I'm not your fucking life coach, okay, I'm just here to make bad jokes and pressure you into making bad decisions. Except this isn't a bad decision. You've been a lot happier since you took this job, even before the whole Sam thing happened. And this is coming from me, a completely selfless perspective, since I actually lose out by you being there, cause I don't get to see you."

Gabriel scowled. He couldn't actually argue with that logic, as much as he wanted to. "Can I at least have one day in bed to cry and throw darts at pictures of Sam?"

"Course you can. You call Jessica, I'll go buy candy and darts."

Gabriel nodded, wiping his eyes. "Yeah. Sounds good. No Jolly Ranchers, though."

Balthazar didn't ask any questions, and Gabriel was grateful for that.

\--

The following day, Gabriel woke up ten minutes before his alarm went off. He got out of bed, got ready for work and only needed one cup of coffee to feel human. He got off the subway two stops early so that he could walk the rest of the way into work, and he focused his morning tour on the historical side of the White House, and managed to make his audience laugh even more than he usually did. As long as he didn't think about Sam, he was fine. He was good. And it wasn't like it was easy to not think about Sam, considering they worked in the same building, but that just meant that every hour or two he managed to go without desperately missing him was even more of a victory.

He decorated his new office. He'd never had an office before in his life, and now that he did, he was sure as fuck going to make the most of it. One morning, he got to work two hours early, armed with photographs of his family and friends, concert ticket stubs, postcards, flyers, CD booklets, and other memorabilia, and spent the whole time constructing a corkboard that he proudly hung over his desk, along with a whole range of brightly colored stationery that was far more interesting than the regulation grey stuff he'd been given.

He looked around the place. It didn't look like the office of someone who worked in the White House. It definitely didn't look like the office of someone who used to date the President. But it looked like Gabriel's office, and that was all that mattered to him.

Other people commented on the change, too. Not necessarily the office specifically, but more his attitude in general. At least three people in a single week told him he was looking a lot more relaxed at work these days, and he supposed that was true, now that he wasn't really trying to impress anyone. And even though he was working harder than ever trying to devise special visit programs that incorporated a White House tour as well as other landmarks in the city, specially designed for school groups who were coming from far away, he was somehow less stressed than he used to be. Getting up was easier, and even though he wasn't sleeping much more than he used to, it felt like it counted more somehow. For the first time in his life, he was actually excited to get to work, and he enjoyed talking about what he was doing.

He was becoming exactly the kind of person he'd hated five years ago, and he didn't mind in the slightest.

Sam Winchester, meanwhile, was having the opposite problem. He'd spent every waking minute of every day for the past fifteen years focused on getting to where he was now, and the whole time, he'd had a list of very specific goals in mind. But now, he felt like he was drifting, and he didn't know if it was to do with what had happened in England, or more because of a golden haired tour guide who he tried his absolute best not to run into in the hallways, purposefully avoiding all the places where they had once met. He knew that he'd been able to do this without Gabriel's support once upon a time, but he couldn't quite remember how, and finding that person he'd once been wasn't easy. And it was getting to the point where all the staff around him were pressuring to make a serious start on his re-election campaign, but he had no idea where to even begin. The idea of another term in office stretched out before him like a prison sentence, and more than once, the thought crossed his mind that it might be easier to just not bother.

He could get a house out in the countryside, move in there, far away from anyone. A small security staff in an adjacent house just in case, only his brother and one or two close friends knowing his address. It would be perfect. It might even be a big enough change that he'd be able to stop thinking about Gabriel.

He closed his eyes, and saw Gabriel's instead, the warm, soft molten gold that used to gaze at him like he was the only thing in the world worth looking at, and he realized a terrible truth. He didn't actually want to stop thinking about Gabriel. Not now. Probably not ever.

And if he did ever move to the countryside and buy a little house with a driftwood roof and honeysuckle growing on the walls, then it wouldn't feel right unless Gabriel was right there with him, making terrible food in the kitchen each morning for breakfast, lying outside with him on the grass on warm sunny days and braiding Sam's hair.

He sighed, and attempted to remind himself yet again that if he let himself do that, if he chose running away with Gabriel over the future of this entire country and risked the party being beaten in the next election, he'd spend the rest of his life feeling guilty about it.

Sam Winchester picked up a pen and started to write.

\--

_Sam's Presidential To Do List_

_1\. Arrange for French Prime Minister to visit - discuss trade. September is good._

_2\. Legal drinking age discussion with Supreme Court representatives - lower to 19 like Canada?_

_3\. Organize staff dinner. They've worked hard and they deserve a good night._

_4\. Meet with potential candidates for next year's Governor of Wisconsin; possibly discuss gun policies_

_5\. Tell Gabriel he's the light of my life, the one I'm meant to be with, my true love forever and ever._

\--

_Elevator buttons in morning air_

_Strangers' silence makes me wanna take the stairs._

Gabriel woke up to a strange noise outside his window. He was actually used to people playing loud music at all hours of the day, considering his neighbors in the apartment across the hall were in a band, but this was a different situation entirely. For one thing, it was in tune. For another, the voice was somehow familiar, although right now he couldn't place it.

_If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares_

_But right now, my time is theirs._

Gabriel climbed out of bed wearing nothing but an old pair of dark red sweatpants and made his way over to the window where the voice was coming from. He grabbed a flashlight from his drawer and shone it out of the open window, illuminating the scene below him.

The President of the United States was standing in the middle of the tiny back yard behind his apartment building, strumming a guitar and serenading him.

_Seems like there's always someone who disapproves_

_They'll judge it like they know about me and you._

Gabriel gasped, all thoughts of sleep gone from his mind now that his heart was hammering three times faster than a healthy rate. This couldn't be happening, there was no possible way this was happening, he had to be dreaming. If he spoke, he would wake himself up.

He leaned out of the window and called, "Sam!"

_And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do_

_The jury's out; but my choice is you._

Gabriel didn't wake. If anything the scene grew clearer, as the cold air from outside hit his face and woke him up even more. He stared, and the longer he stared the more he was forced to confront the reality that Sam really was there, right in front of his eyes.

Sam glanced up to the window, missing a few chords as he took his eyes off the guitar and stated up at Gabriel instead. He didn't smile or greet him, but he raised a hand to beckon him outside.

_So don't you worry your pretty little mind_

_People throw rocks at things that shine_

_And life makes love look hard._

_The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours._

Gabriel knew he should stop himself, but he had to know what this was about, what could possibly have Sam stood outside his window singing Taylor Swift, of all things. He dashed out of his bedroom and then his front door, his feet pounding on the stairs on the way down, not wanting to wait for the elevator despite the bad smell. He hoped Sam hadn't woken up the people downstairs. Gabriel slammed the door to his apartment building shut behind him and ducked round the back, through the overgrown weeds and bushes, until he emerged at the back of the building close to Sam.

_You'll never know what people have up their sleeves_

_Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me._

Gabriel stood in front of Sam, watching him, listening to the words of the song, wanting desperately to move closer to him but somehow rooted to the grass he stood on. This wasn't ever supposed to happen to him. He'd been getting by, he'd been moving on, and he'd never once factored Sam showing up unexpectedly and serenading him by moonlight into his plans for the future.

_Lurking in the shadows with their lipgloss smiles_

_But I don't care, cause right now you're mine._

And Sam didn't look back at Gabriel; he just continued to sing, his eyebrows scrunched together as he stared down at the acoustic guitar below him, which he played clumsily, as though he'd just learnt it especially for this occasion. Gabriel didn't have a clue how to feel about that. They didn't make eye contact, but Gabriel knew that Sam was aware of his presence.

_And you say don't you worry your pretty little mind_

_People throw rocks at things that shine_

_And life makes love look hard._

_The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours._

Gabriel pressed his lips tight together to keep himself from crying. Too soon for that. Never mind that Sam was in his backyard in the middle of the night singing a song that was so clearly meant for him, Gabriel Novak would not cry. Not yet. Not until he was absolutely sure there was something worth crying about. Not unless Sam used some of his own words instead of ones that had been written for him.

_And it's not theirs to speculate if it's wrong_

_And your hands are tough but they re where mine belong_

Sam was living by no such rules. On the word 'belong', his voice cracked, and he had to take a pause from the song to suck in a deep, stuttered breath, and Gabriel could see that the corners of his eyes were wet. And it occurred to him that a few months ago he probably wouldn't have even let Sam finish, he'd just have crossed that final distance between them and hugged Sam as tight as he could, forgiving him for everything, but now? Now he had higher standards.

_And I'll fight their doubt and give you faith_

_Wrote this song for you._

A tear dripped from the corner of Sam's eye and plopped down on the wooden body of his guitar, sparkling where it reflected the moonlight.

_Cause I love the gap between your teeth_

_And I love the riddles that you speak_

Gabriel instinctively ran his tongue over the teeth inside his mouth, poking it through the gap between them that he'd always been self conscious of.

_And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored_

_Cause my heart is yours._

Gabriel let out a short, broken laugh at this, displaying his bare arms to Sam fairly pointlessly, given that Sam was already well aware that he didn't have any tattoos.

_So don't you worry your pretty little mind_

_People throw rocks at things that shine_

_And life makes love look hard._

Gabriel clenched his hands into fists, and with every word it got harder and harder for him to stay put, but he forced himself to do it. It was Sam's turn to make the first move this time, if he wanted it enough.

_Don't you worry your pretty little mind_

_People throw rocks at things that shine_

_But they can't take what's ours; they can't take what's ours._

Gabriel took a few deep breaths, because he knew the song was coming to a close, and he still had no idea how he felt or what he was going to say when the moment was over.

_The stakes are high_

Sam took a tentative step towards Gabriel, and Gabriel gave up and followed suit, meeting him in the middle.

_The water's rough_

Sam finally looked up from his guitar and met Gabriel's eyes, singing the last line without any accompaniment.

_But this love is ours._

Sam shrugged off his guitar and set it on the ground, and he offered up a small, hopeful smile that broke Gabriel's heart.

"I didn't know you could sing." Gabriel tried. It was all he could think of. It was as good a starting point as any.

"Neither did I. But for you, I'll try anything."

Gabriel smiled weakly. He wished that were true.

There was no point even attempting to have a normal conversation. He had to jump straight into it. "Why the hell are you here, Sam?"

"Well, mostly because you're here. That sounds too simple, but really, it's true. Look, Gabriel, I never thought I was going to fall in love. Cheesy as it sounds, I always thought that the love of my life would be... this country. That was the thing I'd do anything for, and the idea that any single person could get in the way of that was just unfathomable. And I knew I was expected to get married and I hoped it would be to someone I liked and enjoyed spending time with, but that I'd have the kind of mad, stupid, fearless love that makes me jump peoples' back walls at three am... that never crossed my mind. And because of that, when it did happen, I didn't know what to do with it. I was terrified. I found myself caring about you to the point where I wanted to put you above every single other thing I stand for and rather than try to accept those feelings I just tried to get rid of them. And that was a mistake. Look, I know I might have been just a fling for you, I know you said that the whole White House thing was just a game, but... Gabriel, I'm pretty sure you're the love of my life. And even though my job is still important to me and I'm still going to try to make this country the best it can be - I want your help with that. I want you in my life, in every way, starting right now. And I just thought you should know that. Thought you should know how special you are."

Gabriel stared at Sam while he made his speech, and in a way he felt exactly the same as he had the first time, when Sam had been cursing him out and telling him he never wanted to see him again. It was the same world tilting surreality, where Gabriel couldn't process the fact that this was actually happening, because the words seemed so at odds with everything he had come to expect from Sam.

And he knew what he had to do.

"Look, Sam, this is really romantic and all, but a badly played song and a rehearsed speech... I don't know if that all makes up for how shitty you made me feel. You can't just keep picking me up and putting me down whenever you feel like it. And I'm not saying I don't want to be with you, cause I do, but I'm not gonna come running back just because you show up here with some old guitar. I need some time to think, okay?"

Sam didn't even protest. His shoulders sagged, and he picked up the guitar, slinging it over his shoulder again. "Yeah. Yeah, I don't blame you," he nodded, defeated. "Call me when you're ready. If you want. And if you don't, then I'll just assume you... yeah."

He turned and headed back across the grass to the side gate, his head hanging low, each footstep looking like it took a huge effort. Gabriel felt a physical pain slice through his heart, and it hurt even more than it had when Sam told him they couldn't be together any more, and he hated to see Sam so obviously in pain like this.

"Wait!"

Sam's head whipped around.

Gabriel jogged over to him, grabbing his arm. "No. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wanted to do to you what you did to me, I guess, to make you feel like I didn't want you for a while, but... that'd be a lie. And I can't put you through that. Stay. Let's talk."

Sam grimaced. "Please don't be joking this time. I couldn't take it. Please."

"I'm not joking," Gabriel promised, as he reached out and took Sam's hand, leading him back into the warmth of the apartment where they could talk without being interrupted.

He flopped down on his bed - he'd long since returned the pink daisy comforter to its rightful position - and patted the space next to him. He watched Sam carefully arrange himself so that he wasn't too close to Gabriel, and tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Look, here's the thing, yeah, Sam? I fall for people, really easily, and the relationships I've had in the past, I've jumped into something crazy with them a few days after knowing them and it's burnt itself out in a couple months. Because I didn't know who they were and I wasn't ready for something like that with them. But with you, it wasn't like that. We didn't meet one day and go from zero to a hundred and start spending all our time together. It was slow. It was a smile of recognition in the hallway that became a short conversation about our days that became dinners and then evenings and then sleepovers. I fell for you, but it wasn't the dangerous kind of fall. It was more of a... controlled stumble. It was only dangerous because of who you were. The point is, we were slow and gentle and natural and I loved that and then you told me to fuck off and that was a shock and it stopped that natural progression, just at the point when I'd started to realize that... that..."

Sam's breath hitched. "That what?"

"Sam, if we do this, I'm in it for the long haul. I got no intention of going anywhere. I will take you back and I will forgive you everything, unconditionally with no reservations, but for me to feel safe doing that... I need to know that your plans are the same."

"They are. Gabriel, of course they are. I want everything with you, and someday I want you walking down an aisle lined with flowers for a little ceremony in a country hotel, and-"

"I pictured it on the beach," Gabriel whispered, and Sam laughed.

"I can be flexible on the location. We'll talk."

Gabriel smiled, but then turned serious again. "I've got some other conditions too. Don't look scared, they're not that bad. But I want to be included more, I know you might not be able to tell me everything about your work, but I want to know some things, I don't want them just brushed aside as 'things Gabriel won't understand'. Just so I have some idea of what's going on with you. And I... I want to see your room at some point. Spend enough time telling kids on my tours about your private chambers, be nice if I could actually see it for myself, yknow?"

Sam took a moment to think about it, and then nodded. "That all sounds fair. But... if it's alright with you, I also want to tell people about us. Not just yet, but if I get re-elected-"

"When you get re-elected," Gabriel cut in.

Sam gave him a shaky smile. "Then I'll talk to my advisers. See if we can't figure something out. Because God, Gabriel, it makes me so sad that I can't spend all my free time going on and on about you. I kept wanting to, even when I thought you hated me."

"I want to be able to talk about you too. But I'll wait. Until you're re-elected or until you're done in office or whenever's best for you, because it'll be worth it, because I know that one day I'll be walking hand in hand with you on the street and I'll be able to turn to you and... and do this."

There was nothing left to say, not right now. All that was left was for Gabriel to cup Sam's chin in his hand and lean in for a soft kiss that was both familiar and new, both an apology and a fresh start all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MINI EPILOGUE WILL BE POSTED IN LIKE FIVE MINUTES SO REFRESH THIS PAGE IF YOU DON'T SEE IT YET <3


	7. Long Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah when I said mini this is literally tiny but it was important to me that this happened

**Epilogue**

Gabriel had been in the White House ballroom plenty of times in his life, but he was usually accompanied by a group of awed children. Tonight he was the one in awe, gazing around at the crowds of senior state officials in their formal clothes, all of them perfectly poised as they sipped champagne and made polite conversation, gathered to celebrate Sam's re-election for a second term in office.

Gabriel had spent weeks picking out the perfect dress for the occasion. He wanted it to be classy, and not something that would make him stand out too much, considering how out of place he was already going to be. In the end he'd chosen a simply black strapless dress with silver beading around the neckline, one that clung tight to his waist and thighs but flared out at the hips, giving him the illusion of a figure. He paired it with tall silver heels that brought him slightly closer to the height of everyone else in the room.

He got a few strange looks from people in the crowd as he glided through the people amassed there, but he ignored them, only stopping to pluck a cocktail sausage off a tray that a waiter was carrying, munching on it for good luck.

Glancing around the room, he saw that Sam was deep in conversation with his brother and the Vice President, off to the side of the room, and Gabriel was grateful that he wouldn't have to face too many people at once on his first official outing as the President's date.

He weaved his way through the people between himself and Sam, focusing on breathing deeply and not slipping over on the shiny floor, and it felt like far too short a time before he reached the three of them.

"Hi, Sam," was all he could manage to say with how badly his voice was shaking.

Sam turned to meet him, and his eyes visibly lit up when he caught sight of Gabriel. "You look beautiful," he breathed, seeming to be just as much in awe of Gabriel as Gabriel was of the entire situation.

Gabriel shook his head, but Sam had already turned back to his companions. "Dean, Castiel - this is Gabriel Novak. Gabriel, this is my brother, Dean Winchester, and my Vice President, Castiel Milton."

Castiel chuckled. "Yes, I did assume this was Gabriel. I've heard a fair amount about you."

"A fair amount?" Dean snorted. "I think you mean he hasn't shut up about you. Can you say 'broken record'?"

Sam's cheeks flushed. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he mumbled to himself.

"Hey, hey, it's fine," Gabriel tried to reassure Sam, giving his hand a quick squeeze, meeting his eyes to make sure it was okay for him to do that in public. He still wasn't completely sure how he, as the future First Lady of the United States, was supposed to act - but Sam didn't try to pull away. "This was a great idea. And I promise you, as usual, I'm just as terrified as you are."

Sam nodded, collecting himself. Dean and Castiel moved away slightly, giving the other two their space.

"So, Gabriel Novak. Would you like to dance?" Sam asked, offering his arm.

Gabriel giggled, placing his hand on Sam's wrist. "Why yes, President Winchester. I think I would."

Nobody else was dancing yet, but there was soft music playing in the background, and perhaps they could start a trend. Sam led Gabriel to the middle of the room and placed his hands on Gabriel's waist, while Gabriel wrapped his around Sam's neck, and they swayed in time with the song.

"I have a question," Sam smirked as he twirled Gabriel under his arm.

"Oh yeah?"

"Did Balthazar ever give you that thousand dollars he promised you?"

Gabriel pulled Sam towards him until they were almost, but not quite kissing, gazing into his eyes with adoration. "No, he didn't. But I don't mind, because I got something much better."

~~ THE END ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really hope you all enjoyed this!! Feel free to let me know what you thought, but honestly I love you for reading either way. <3


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